


Bindings that Bond the Heart

by Atrix333



Category: Hakuouki
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-08-07 05:20:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 48,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7702273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atrix333/pseuds/Atrix333
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thrown into the past, Atrix and Kaita are soon connected with five men, all for the sake of a experiment. What will they do when they realize their pain, both physically and emotionally, will be shared with one and another? Can they bear it? Or will they all fall apart?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fanfiction focused more on Hakuouki. I am using something from Kiznaiver to write this story. My friend is also writing this with me, and her OC is Kaita. Mine is Atrix. Please give it a try.

Has there ever been a thought about what would happen if one could force a connection onto another, much less several others? Reducing the pain, physical and emotional, and distributing it out equally to a select amount of others. Will a true level of understanding and connection be made? Or would it turn out to become a high end tragedy? 

The Kizuna System. A system which was created to make such an experiment a reality. This is not such a system is to be used, as it is based off of human trial and error, but is it really necessary? The ones who originally begun the Kiznaiver experiment are about to thrust their plan into motion once more, this time going further in creating that deep connection they wanted to monitor. They were going to go as far as testing how this binding connection will function in a whole new environment, of one in the past that lack the modern day technology. A complicated process, yes, but it wasn’t too far out of reach. 

Finding the right subjects wasn’t too hard of a procedure as well. Atrix Wolfhaven and Kaita Raimon. Two childhood friends who each harbor their own conflicts. An extensive background confirmed the ideal circumstances. As for the rest of their group, that will only be revealed upon the girl’s arrival in the past. 

Thus their plan was thrown into motion. When the proper preparations were completed, lower leveled co-workers went to grab the two girls, sedating them to be able to go right into the next step of the plan. Implanting a specialized transmitter in both of their left wrists. This little tool will enable the research team to gather the needed information, such as giving them the knowledge of who has joined their group. Of course, that was where everything became complicated. They truly had no solid ground of this experiment to work, but it was worth a shot. 

The surgeon in charge of the operation completed his task without fail, allowing the final stage to roll into place. While the Kiznaiver Project was to research on connecting a human’s heart to another, they came across something interesting. The opportunity to send someone back into time. Though, the downside is not being able to return back to the present time. Meaning, They will be able to receive the necessary information, as well as possibly help them continue toward the right path; however, the two girls will have to live their life in that time period. It was a one sided win. 

Regardless, They believed it will all be worth it in the end, even if it was for their own personal gain. A couple others helped on carrying the two sedated girls to the designated room. Under the right circumstances, the room will act as a time capsule of sorts. Once when they were in position, the female lead gazed out through the window. Without any hesitation, she pushed the blue button to start the test. It won’t be until they are there when the real experiment begins. The connection will be shown upon their arrival to the past. 

Watching as Atrix and Kaita disappeared from the room, the female stated, “Good luck.”


	2. Chapter 1: Forced Connections Part I

Atrix's POV:

Something felt strange. Something felt off. There was a brief moment when Atrix had felt a strange tug. With her mind under the bridge, and having no sense of control over her body, she was finding it hard to recognize the current situation. Something was happening, but what? Even with her mind being hazy, the female did her best to bring up possible explanations. Was she drugged by some sort of sedative? Likely. Was she in danger? Hard to tell. It wasn't a natural feeling, and she didn't like it.

Slowly, she opened her eyes into slits, her mind flinching as she felt the intensity of the brightness above her. Where was she? Not that long ago, or so she believed, Atrix had been just going about her usual routine for the day. It was when a black van parked a few yards away when things got creepy. People in strange costumes of a character she didn't recognize had grabbed her from behind. They pushed and shoved the female towards the van. Believing she was being abducted, Atrix had resisted with everything she had. Not a moment after that, she remembered losing consciousness.

Clearly, whoever had targeted her had succeed in their goal. She still couldn't move. Even peeking through her eyelids was more of a strain, causing her to close her eyes. As she tried to recall what exactly happened, the air inside the room grew heavy. The heavy atmosphere became heavier with each passing minute. A pressure formed on her chest, making breathing hard on the lungs.

Just as the heavy pressure reached the critical point, to where Atrix couldn't breathe, a strange vibration hummed through her body. The next thing she knew, the heavy pressure vanished. What took its place was the sensation of... Falling? With a rush of adrenaline, Atrix snapped her eyes opened. Sure enough, she was falling. Her blue-green eyes widened with fear as she crashed right into someone. An audible 'oomph!' came from the one who she knocked over upon her fall. The collision sent a blast of pain shooting through the female's nose and shoulder.

The impact had left her momentarily immobile. "Tsk," Came an unhappy sounding voice from below her. Having closed her eyes upon her crash landing, Atrix slowly opened her eyes once more. Cold, unfazed crimson eyes met her gaze. There was no amusement there, just irritation. Maybe even a sliver of confusion, if she looked hard enough. Atrix's cheeks reddened as she noted she was positioned on top of him.

"I-I'm sorr-," The female tried to stumble out an apology when a sudden flare of pain erupted from the back of her skull. The sudden pin caused her to reel, nearly collapsing down on top of the man below her. The pain went away as quickly as it had came. From how fast it went away, there wasn't any way for it to be a headache. It was too sharp and random.

"Get off," The male's voice rang out as he grabbed her arms and gently, yet a bit roughly, pushed her off of him. Somehow, Atrix had the feeling that if she had been a man, she wouldn't have been treated as gently. He guided her to her feet as he stood up himself. His red eyes boated into her teal ones before he took a look of the clothes she was wearing.

Atrix was wearing jeans and a loose-fitting t-shirt. Jeans wasn't something she usually wore, but the day had been hot. Her hair was a short and brown in color. It stopped a few centimeters above her shoulders. As for the male, he was wearing a white kimono with a gold-lined haori. He wore a neckpiece around his neck that had red string draping in the front. His hair was a golden-blonde, and his eyes were a deep red. Compared to him, she was very much out of place. Actually, taking a glance around at the few people who passed, she was way out of place.

"I'm s-," Her words were cut short once again as a tip of a sword was pointed at the man she was trying to apologize to. Atrix's eyes followed the blade down to the one who it belonged to.

A man with long black hair, tied up in a ponytail, and clear purple eyes was the one who stood defiantly at the other end of the blade. His gaze was a hard glare. "Chikage Kazama," The male called, keeping his hand steady.

"Toshizo Hijikata," Came Kazama's response. As if to respond to the other man's Katana, Kazama's hand rested firmly on the hilt of his own sword. Slowly, Hijikata's eyes turned towards Atrix, who had been timidly silent. What has yet to be known was that Hijikata had witnessed the sudden arrival of the girl. Appearing out of nowhere. The ordeal was strange. Stranger yet when she had toppled the oni over. Being the Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi, and knowing Kazama, he need to ensure nothing happened to the girl. They needed to know what actually happened, and how she was able to do what she did. With that in mind, Hijikata nodded to the Shinsengumi's Third Unit Captain, Saito Hajime.

The silent command went through. The purple-haired samurai gave his own curt nod in acknowledgment. The male quickly moved forward and reached his hand out, his large hand wrapping around Atrix's wrist. His grip was firm as he pulled her towards him in the process. His blue eyes momentarily looking down at her as he dragged her away from the man called Chikage Kazama.

Atrix was dumbfounded on what to do, so she ended up letting herself get dragged away. Saito continued to firmly hold onto her, as though to ensure she was unable to get away. Chikage's red eyes hadn't left Hijikata until Atrix was pulled away from his side. The two shared a look before someone new appeared beside him. Another male, this one with dark red hair and a beard to match. He whispered something into Chikage's ear.

"Hmph," Was the only response out of him as he dropped his hand to his side and turned away from them. For a moment, Chikage turned his head back to speak to Atrix. "Next time," He said, his words holding far more meaning than one would assume. With that, the two men disappeared, leaving Atrix with Hijikata and Saito.

A minute after they had left, Hijikata turned to look at the girl. "Before I question what happened, I would like to ask who you are," He started, his voice holding authority. His purple eyes piercing through her own gaze. Seeing no other way to get out of it, not that she wanted to, she told him her name.

"I am Atrix Wolfhaven," Atrix introduced herself, bowing slightly out of respect. She would've added more, but having analyzing the situation, providing any more information without being promoted wouldn't be a good idea. Or, at least that was how she felt on the matter. It was becoming clear to her that she was far from home. Very far, indeed.

"Toshizo Hijikata, Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi," Hijikata formally introduced himself this time. After he had finished speaking, the man who still had a grip on Atrix spoke up with his own name. "Saito Hajime," Saito did not include any other detail of his position. His voice was also rather stoic, with a soft undertone when it came to volume. It was still very clear to the ears though. To show she heard, Atrix nodded once at him.

"While I would very much like to question you now, I don't want prying ears to listen in on our conversation," Hijikata sighed before continuing, "Therefore; I would like it if you accompanied us back to our Headquarters." His tone was polite, but his words suggested she should do as his suggestion asked. There wasn't much of any other choice. She didn't know where she was.

"I'll do as you say," Atrix complied with a soft voice. Hijikata gave a nod of approval and turned around. He didn't say anything more as he started to walk l. The hand around her wrist released its hold. Saito didn't follow Hijikata just yet. Atrix used this as a sign she was to walk in between the two men. Atrix went ahead and followed after Hijikata. Saito walked behind her, making her assumption right.

This continued until they had reached their destination. The male in front of her turned to her to tell her to wait in the room he was about to open. Atrix nodded in understanding. It's not like she had another option. At least, not another safe option. Absent mindedly, Atrix walked into the room after the door was slid opened. It closed behind her. Unsure blue-green eyes scanned the room. The room itself was small, yet with little furniture. It provided a spacious amount of room to move about. 'Maybe this is some place where meetings are held?' Atrix pondered on the idea as she sat close to the middle of the room.

Not wanting to cause any disturbances, she remained idle until Hijikata came through the door. Other men followed after him, spreading out in the room, forming a decent half-moon around her. A kind looking man sat right across from her, Hijikata taking his place right beside him. Saito sat beside Hijikata, probably due to him being present upon the time of her strange arrival. There were three others who had joined them. A young man with astonishing, emerald green eyes and his brown hair pulled back into a top knot. The other wore large round glasses, his hair straight past his shoulders. The last was a man with brighter red hair tied back in a low ponytail.

Atrix really felt out of place among this group of men. Mostly because her clothes were far different from what they were wearing. In fact, she's becoming more certain that she wasn't in her own time period anymore. The only other thought would be she was dreaming; however, judging from the pain she felt earlier, that wasn't likely to be the case. The female looked timidly around the room at the group of guys. Were they really just going to question her? Or will they do something worse than just that? An uneasy smile pulled at her lips.

"Tell us what happened," Hijikata said in a more commanding voice. Atrix took a moment to collect her thoughts before she made any such attempt at answering.

"I'm not really sure how to put it, but I-," Before Atrix could say any more, a very large commotion happened just outside the door. Loud footsteps and muffled voices could be heard as they grew closer. A frustrated sigh left the Vice Commander's mouth just as the door was harshly slid open. Two over excited men barged into the room. They were both speaking at once, their words clashing against one another.

"She's soaking wet and got hurt! She needs help!" Came the male with brown spiky hair and a green head bandana, his eyes wide with wonder. The shorter male with long, lighter brown hair, spewed out, "Hijikata! This girl just suddenly fell from the SKY!" How anyone could understand what either of them are saying makes them to have excellent hearing.

Atrix saw water dripping onto the floor and she leaned back to get a better look at who they were talking about. Her eyes widened in shock as she recognized the girl right away.

"Kaita?!" Her friend had entered this world the same way she had.

\---------------------------

Kaita’s POV:

It was just for an instant that Kaita felt hands grab her but after that nothing. Just complete darkness and a soft sweet smell. She wanted to wake up but somehow she couldn’t, her body felt heavy and wouldn’t respond. All she could feel was a slight ache and then a pull at her whole body. Kaita wanted to scream at the sense that was overcoming her. With thoughts scattered she didn’t know what she could do in her state. Especially since she had no control over her body. The pulling and pressure on her body grew more intense to the point of not being able to breath.

Whatever thoughts Kaita was having were being disturbed by the pressure that she could feel on her body. It was as if her breathing could stop with the immense feeling, but it seemed to gradually disappear when all she could hear through her vague consciousness was the wind. She wanted to open her eyes but somehow she couldn’t. The shock to her body had prevented her that liberty but she did manage just to open them slightly before they shut again.

All Kaita saw was blue, not knowing whether it be the sky or the ocean, it was the color that she could see. She could feel nothing but the feeling of the wind passing by her rapidly until a sudden chill ran through her body. Kaita’s eyes then opened wide as she felt her head collide head-on with something but slowly drift away. She then realized what she had fallen into, a river. Kaita was trying to get a bearing on which way was up as she tried to make it to the surface. Her head was aching with pain so that did not help much. 

Finally, she found her way to the surface only to see the bank of the river to be a bit away. To her amazement, she also saw two men staring at her as they ran towards the river. Kaita paid no mind to the men as she tried to swim to shore but her body barely had any energy to stay afloat. That’s when she started to sink back down into the depths of the water. She grasped for anything that she could to keep her on the surface.

The two men picked up their pace and jumped into the river and pull out the girl they had seen fall from the sky. “Oi! Are you alright? Oi!” The shorter of the two men tried to grab Kaita’s attention as the men pulled her from the water and onto the bank of the river. “You saw that right Heisuke? She fell from the sky into the river!” The voices seemed a bit overwhelming for Kaita at the moment, so she clasped her hands over her ears to muffle the sound. 

When Kaita did this the two men looked at her wondering what was wrong but only to then avert their gaze and step back away from Kaita. The smaller of the two spoke up. “You should cover up. You are soaked. We should also probably get you some place to dry up and change.” Kaita looked down at her clothes to see that her shirt was see through at this point. She wrapped her arms around her chest and blushed profusely. 

“I think for now we should let Hijikata know what happened here and also get her a change of clothes before she gets sick. Right, Heisuke?” The man with the spiky hair and taller stature commented to the slightly smaller male with longer hair in a ponytail. “You’re right, Shinpachi. Let’s go, you’re coming with us.”

Kaita was uneasy as the two men moved her along. It was like she had no choice but to go along with them. The smaller male was about the same height as her and took the front, and the taller one took the rear, which left Kaita in the middle. It was as the two men were escorting a prisoner. Kaita clutched her hands into her arms not really knowing what was going on, where she was, how she got there, and exactly when she was. She peered around at her surroundings only to see buildings and people in period clothing that she had only seen in museums or history books.

A chill ran down Kaita’s back as she let out a sneeze, which made the two men look at her and then at each other. “I think it would best if we pick up the pace.” Shinpachi then placed his hand on Kaita’s shoulder before hoisting her into his arms and start to run with her. “This way will make it to the Shinsengumi before she gets sick.” Heisuke followed close by as they ran down the back streets so as to not draw attention. Kaita of course was unsure of what was going on after Shinpachi had picked her and started to carry her.

The next moment a huge building loomed before the three of them as they entered its gates. With Kaita still in Shinpachi’s arms, Heisuke had asked a nearby man if Hijikata was around. The man looked over at Kaita in Shinpachi’s arms and smirked. “Yeah the vice- captain is here. He’s over in the main hall with the other captains. They have some girl with them. Apparently, Captain Saito and Vice-Captain Hijikata encountered her when they were confronted with that Oni guy Kazama.”

Heisuke and Shinpachi ran towards the main hall with Kaita still in tow and burst through the door to see all the other captains and Hijikata there. They saw that there was girl sitting amidst them in clothing they had never seen before but also similar to the girl that Shinpachi had been carrying. 

“Oi, Hijikata! This girl just suddenly fell from the SKY!” Shinpachi set Kaita down as he pointed out that she was soaking wet and needed to change clothes before she got sick. Kaita not knowing where the two men took her, Heisuke and Shinpachi, seemed to just look at the floor. It wasn’t until she heard a familiar voice call her name did she look up. 

“Atrix?!” Kaita didn’t know of what to make of her situation but to see her friend there too gave her some peace. Tears nagged at the corner of her eyes as she made her way to her friend. Kaita looked around slightly as she saw other faces behind that of her friend. Kaita still hadn’t spoken much of a word except that of her friend’s name. Shinpachi and Heisuke were a bit surprised when they heard Kaita speak and go over to the Atrix’s side.

Kaita semi hide behind Atrix. She didn’t really do well when it came to unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar environments. Though, she didn’t act like this all the time Kaita could help but feel like a scared child. Besides Kaita also had her own questions to ask Atrix, especially knowing where they were and how exactly did they get there? Also when is exactly is there, would be the biggest question of them all.

Kaita shivered even more and was about to sneeze but caught it. She looked shyly up at the stern face looking at her only to shrink back to hide away from it. Atrix seemed to be more confident so Kaita waited to hear what the men would do to the both of them seeing as how they had appeared out of nowhere and were now brought before the captains of the Shinsengumi.


	3. Chapter 2: Forced Connections Part II

Atrix was shocked to see Kaita was here as well. From the expression her friend was showing, she must have been feeling the same. Out of her surprise, she had stood up and had nearly stumbled over her feet to reach her friend. Kaita reached her halfway. Sure enough, she was soaked to the bone, to where the clothes clung to the girl's skin. Atrix was just about to ask Kaita what happened to her, but her friend beat her to it.

"Atrix, you're here too? Did you had something strange happen to you? Are you okay?!" Kaita issued out far too many questions at once, her eyes wide with concern. This was indeed Kaita. The one and only.

Atrix placed both of her hands down on top of Kaita's shoulders. "Calm down, Kaita, I'm fine. Shouldn't I be asking you that?" She asked with a light chuckle. She heard her friend say she was fine before Hijikata loudly cleared his throat in order to regain everyone's attention.

The male gave each of the women a look before he beckoned the other female to join them. The older man, who was seated beside Hijikata, raised his hand to prevent him from continuing. "Toshi, I know you want to question these girls, but let's get a change of clothes for the one who is wet. It wouldn't help us if she got sick. Her friend could also use a change of clothes," he said, a kind ring to his voice.

Hijikata's purple eyes glanced around his comrades as murmurs of agreement was voiced in the room. He sighed. "What do you suggest they wear? We don't have anything for women here, Kondo," He said. He was not disagreeing with his superior, but was asking a logical question.

Kondo sat there with a thoughtful look. His eyes went from one man to the next. He smiled as he finally thought of something. The man's bright eyes landed in Heisuke. "You and Kaita, was it?, are similar in height and build. Let her borrow a change of your clothes for a couple of days. It would help her out! As for Atrix...," Kondo's eyes looked over them once more. "Saito, would you mind lending her one of your kimonos for a couple of days?" When a small nod came from the male, Kondo smiled gratefully at the two.

Heisuke didn't seem to mind, and he even checked with Kaita to make sure she was fine with this. As for Saito, he remained seated where he was, but his blue eyes stared at her. He didn't seem too thrilled by this turn of events, but he wasn't going to deny and argue against his captain.

"We will continue this once when they have changed," Hijikata said as he stood up and made his way out of the door. He didn't say anything else as he left; the man who wore glasses pardoned himself for the time being. Everyone else stayed in the room.

"Let's go!" Heisuke said with excitement. He grabbed ahold of Kaita's hand and pulled her away. Atrix watched as she went along with the young man. Slowly, Saito got up out of his seated position. He started to head to the door, pausing briefly to tell her to follow him. Atrix did as he requested and left the room behind him.

"Stop," Saito said as they reached one of the rooms. He disappeared inside, leaving Atrix outside to wait. After a handful of minutes, the purple-haired man handed her folded clothes. Once when they were in her hands, Saito led her to an empty room in order to change. She hugged the clothes to her chest, as if that gave her a sense of security. With that, she took a step inside just as she heard Kaita's familiar voice.

Atrix poked her head back out of the door. Just as she thought, Kaita was heading this way. She waved her hand to let her know that is was okay for her to change with her. Kaita smiled in relief and darted over to her. As soon as Kaita was in the room, Atrix shut the door. Atrix had a feeling that they did not have to worry about them peeking in as they changed, at least not with Saito around.

"I'm glad to see someone I know here," Atrix started the conversation, "Though... I wish I knew what actually happened, or how we got here to begin with." As she spoke, she unfolded the kimono she was given. From the looks of it, it really will fit her. Of course, that is if she could put it on easily. It wasn't everyday where she wore one. She glanced to the side and watched Kaita lay out her own borrowed clothes. Seeing it lay out, there was a huge difference.

"Yeah, I don't know what happened either. I was doing something when I was suddenly knocked out..? I'm not even sure if I was knocked out. I was a bit conscious when I felt this strange pressure. The next thing I knew, I was here," Kaita agreed softly as she studied the lay out of the clothes. When she was sure enough on how to put it on, she begun to take her current clothes off.

Atrix did the same as she sighed, turning slightly away from her, to give at least a bit of privacy. The female took care to take off her shoes before tugging her jeans off. She picked the black kimono off of the floor and put her arms through the sleeves. "That's exactly what happened to me. It felt like... I couldn't breathe for a moment. The next thing I knew, I was falling and... Crashed into someone," Atrix said, her words becoming a bit shy towards the end.

Kaita paused briefly before she started putting the clothes she was borrowing from Heisuke. To her, it already felt awkward. By the time she had successfully dressed in the current clothing, she turned around just as her friend was finishing. "I had that same feeling, but I didn't really 'wake' until I crashed into the river... If it wasn't for Heisuke and Shinpachi, I probably would have drowned," Kaita said as she watched as Atrix tied the obi around her waist.

"Looks like we both had a crash landing," Atrix tried to bring humor into their situation. Kaita gave a small smile to acknowledge the try, but their situation was bringing worry into her mind. Atrix gently patted down her sides. The black kimono was kept together by a white obi. It didn't look bad on her, but it did make her look a tad boyish with her short hair. The black certainly brought out her teal colored eyes.

Atrix peered at Kaita. "Are you sure you're going to be okay wearing that?" She asked her out of concern. Kaita was a bit more exposing, though it was still a decent cover up. Her friend's cheeks blushed, as her bangs slightly feel over her eyes as her head shifted down to take her own look at the outfit. "I'll be fine," her words sounded more like what she was trying to convince herself. Atrix gave her friend a reassuring pat on the back.

"Hey, are you guys done?" The cheerful voice belonged to Heisuke. He was eager to see what they would look like in their clothes. Though, Atrix was more sure that he just wanted to see Kaita and see how she looks in his clothes. Not that she could blame the young man. The outside went well with Kaita's golden eyes as well.

Instead of providing a verbal answer, Atrix opened the door and blinked as she was first greeted by the bright light. Saito turned his head and stared at her for a moment before closing his eyes and turning his head away. Kaita slowly followed behind her. A gasp of surprised delight escaped from the young male as his teal eyes landed on the shy girl behind her. This caused Kaita to become more self-conscious of her appearance. Atrix rolled her eyes.

Saito returned his gaze back towards the rest of the group. "Let's go," He said simply. Without checking to make sure they were following, the purple-haired man began the walk back to the room everyone was waiting in. Behind her, Atrix could hear excited chatter. Though, Heisuke did most of the talking. It was obvious the male was smitten with her friend.

It only took a few minutes for the four of them to reach the rest of the waiting men. Atrix felt a tug on her sleeve and glanced back. Kaita had a gentle hold on her sleeve to stay close to her. Atrix smiled to reassure her. Saito slid the door open and moved aside to let the two girls go in first. Several of them appeared amused. If anything, everyone's attention shifted to Kaita.

Shinpachi's eyes popped out of his head as he gawked at the girl. Soft murmurs went around the room. Before the chatter became louder, the male who wore the big glasses approached and placed his haori over Kaita's shoulders. It was an attempt to cover the girl up. "Now, now. I am sure having all of us staring isn't going to make her feel at ease," he said as he stood up straight.

"Oh? It's just hard to believe how polar opposites these two look. One looks like a boy," The male with emerald eyes and brown hair voiced as his eyes peered right at Atrix, "while the other is definitely a female." His voice was nothing short of amusement. A smirk was settled on his lips.

His words irked Atrix. She was usually the shy one, but something pushed her to respond to the male. "My hair may be short, but looks can be deceiving," Atrix retorted sourly.

A hum came from the man's throat. "I can't really deny that, but why not strip down? You'd get as much attention as your friend here," His eyes moved to look at Kaita. Kaita moved closer to Atrix trying to get out of his line of sight.

Just as Atrix was about to say something back in return, Hijikata beat her to it. "Souji!" His voice was loud inside the room. One look at him would show how annoyed the Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi was. It didn't take much of a guess that Souji does this kind of thing often.

"I was just teasing~," Souji gave him a wicked smile. "Though, depending on where the conversation went, one of us could have lost a tongue," He ended with a light chuckle.

Hijikata glared at Souji. "That's enough. If we can get back on track, we can get started with the questioning," His words held no room for arguing. Sannan smiled at Kaita once more before returning to his place beside Saito. Atrix and Kaita took a seat in the center of the room.

"From what has been said earlier, you both suddenly appeared out of thin air. Do you know how or why?" Hijikata asked, his purple eyes stern. He sat more crossed legged with his arms crossed.

"All I know is that I was abducted felt a strange pressure, and the next thing I knew. I was falling," Atrix responded first. Hijikata's eyes flicked over to Kaita to seek her own answer.

"The same thing happened to me, but I didn't come to until I hit the water," Kaita provided in a quiet tone. There wasn't much of a difference on how the arrived here.

"You have no recollection of what happened prior?" Sannan asked with a slight frown.

"I was just going about my normal routine," Atrix said after a moment's thought. "There wasn't anything special about it."

"I see...," The Vice Commander considered their words before continuing. "You both came in different clothing. Did you come from the west?"

"Well, yes, but we both moved to Japan about four years ago," Atrix lead the answers before Kaita decided to add anything to it.

"I kinda think we came from the future though," She said more softly than she had intended. Atrix looked over at her friend. "I have to agree."

"That would explain the difference in clothing," Sannan said as he returned to his thoughts.

Hijikata looked doubtful, but he couldn't dismiss the possibility. Seeing how they had appeared, they would have no place to stay. Heaving a sigh, the male reached a decision. "For the time being, we will let you reside here. Kondo, do you have anything you would like to add?"

Kondo peered around the room, giving any of the others a chance to speak. The male with the red hair posed a question of his own. "What should they do while they stay here?"

"Harada has a point... We can't just let them house here for free," Shinpachi piped up. The last thing they needed was an argument to happen if two people sit out. "They could be put in charge of keeping this place clean," he suggested with an easy smile.

Murmurs of agreement echoed inside the room. Hijikata sighed, but listened to the sounds of agreement. "Alright. For now. They can do that. I would also like to have them stay inside the compound, if they can." It sounded like a request rather than an order. He will not force them to stay; it was just safer that way.

Atrix sat there with Kaita quietly. The two shared a look. They were given a place to stay, though being the only females here was going to be awkward. It wasn't a bad proposition either, considering they were only strangers. They could very well keep them there to have an eye on them as well. "We can stay inside the place," Atrix spoke out. Though, she would want to explore the city.

Hijikata nodded and stood up from where he sat. "Very well. There are two rooms you two can use. I have things to take care of," With that, the male left the room.

"Having two girls around isn't going to be too bad. I think it'll liven things up a bit," Harada said as he got up as well. "If you have any issues, don't hesitate to ask any of us," he added with a wink. He went out the door.

One by one, the men left the room until the ones left were Shinpachi, Heisuke, Saito, and the two girls. Saito slowly stood and turned his blue gaze onto Atrix. "I'll take you to the room mentioned," He said stoically. Shinpachi quickly stood and shouted, "I'll accompany you!"

"I'll go too!" Heisuke spoke just a second too late. Saito blinked and looked over at the younger man.

"We do not need three people doing a one person's job," Saito voiced when he picked up on the possibility of a fight on who guided whom. Why did that need to even happen? He had to wonder.

Shinpachi leaned close to Heisuke to whisper something into his ear. "You already got to have some time with her, why not let me have a chance this time?" Despite whispering, his voice was still loud enough for anyone close by to hear. Heisuke reluctantly agreed, his cheeks puffing in a pout as he crossed his arms.

With that being settled, Saito lead the group out of the room, leaving the pouting Heisuke behind. Shinpachi was the last one to leave, sticking close to Kaita, who was shying away and trying to stick close to her friend. Shinpachi had other ideas. He wanted to talk. Seeing no other way around it, Kaita did her best to converse with him. Saito, on the other hand, was quiet. He didn't care for chitchat. Atrix didn't mind it at all at the moment.

The walk lead them to nearly the opposite side of the courtyard. From what Atrix could tell, the living quarters were housed in this area. Saito paused by one of the room and slid open the door to reveal the empty room that waited from within. "This will be your room. Your friend can stay in the room right beside it," The purple-haired male said as he looked between the too.

"Thank you," Atrix and Kaita said in unison. Shinpachi opened the mentioned room for her, revealing another empty room passed the door.

"Oh! Dinner should be ready by now. Hey, Kaita, let's go get something to eat!" As Shinpachi spoke, he twined his elbow with Kaita's, instantly pulling her away from the other two. Kaita looked back at Atrix as she was dragged away by the much taller male. "W-wait!" Atrix could hear her say.

"Is he always that energetic?" Atrix found herself asking, looking after her friend helplessly. Saito gave a short nod before he followed after them. The female trailed after the samurai.

Dinner was pleasant, meeting yet another new face. Inoue Genzaburou. From the conversation that followed, the Shinsengumi members each give their turn in cooking. Not everyone one had the knack for it either, as some put too much salt into things, or another solely uses tofu. It was amusing.

The atmosphere remained peaceful. Souji still made his remarks, but everyone had the chance to speak as well. It was a very welcoming scene. Kaita was able to become comfortable enough to join in on the conversation. Atrix mainly answered questions that she was asked.

Once when everyone was done eating, the two girls headed to their rooms to adjust themselves for the night. Someone must had come by, as a futon was neatly folded in each of their rooms. After laying it out, the two silently discussed the events that happened that day. A roller coaster of a new environment and a completely new situation. Both were equally thankful to have each other at the time, not having to be completely alone. No one knew what was going to happen, but they would be able to put two heads together to think of any solution to problems to may arise.

Atrix settled down and pulled the cover close to her chin as she laid down on her side. Kaita was laying on her back in her own futon, staring up at the ceiling. Soon, they fell asleep, their minds consumed with dreams.

Or it should have been. Just as they were close to falling asleep, their wrists begun to throb and a searing pain erupted from the area. Kaita whimpered and curled her body into a half moon. She bit down on her lower lip to prevent herself from screaming. Atrix had nearly shouted, but managed to keep her voice shut behind her lips. Sweat drip from her forehead as a red glow seared into her skin, forming a weird mark that didn't fade. Kaita was experiencing the same thing.

Unknown to them, five others were experiencing the same thing. Heisuke was nearly asleep when he was jolted awake by the blistering pain he suddenly felt in his wrist. Shinpachi held his wrist as the pain was released, closing an eye. Despite being in different rooms, the two shouted the same thing. "What the hell?!"

Having been up late cleaning his sword, Souji's hand flinched at the odd pain he had in his wrist. "Eh? What's this?" He asked himself, gritting his teeth as he witnessed the unruly glow of the red mark coming into focus on his wrist. In the few rooms over, Saito was getting ready to go to sleep once when he was finishing the written report when he had to pause. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his forehead as he lifted writing hand to bear sight of the red mark. The pain caused his arm to throb, a very unpleasant feeling.

The last person to be cursed with the mark was Chikage Kazama. The Oni had been taking a sip of the sake he had when his red eyes flicked down at the strange sensation coming from his wrist. The sudden onset of it nearly caused the male to drop the small glass he was holding. He flipped his hand over and narrowed his eyes at the random red mark. Chikage suddenly thought of the human girl who had collided into him earlier in the day. Was this her doing? Pain didn't faze him in the same way it would a human, but it didn't feel pleasant either. The throbbing lasted for a full minute before it settled, and the glowing that came from the mentioned mark faded into a visible scar.

\------

The Kizuna system has now been complete. The information transmitted over to the one's responsible. Names shortly flickered over the monitors. Kaita Raimon, Atrix Wolfhaven, Saito Hajime, Heisuke Toudou, Souji Okita, Shinpachi Nakamura, and Chikage Kazama, this group of seven complete the full circle to begin the true experiment.


	4. Chapter 3: Unlikely Situation

Atrix's POV:

A couple days passed since Atrix, along with Kaita, arrived at the Shinsengumi Headquarters. Just as they were told, cleaning became part of a daily routine. Cleaning such a large place was quite a task, even for two people. Still, it was nice to have something to do. Cleaning in the black kimono was a challenge in itself. She had become self-conscious of how she moved, not wanting to expose anything she wouldn't want anyone to see. It would be embarrassing if that were to happen.

As she was gathering the usual supplies to begin the cleaning duty, Hijikata approached the girl. His purple hues met her blue-green ones. "Why don't you go into the city and get yourself clothes you'd be easier to move around in?" The male has observed the awkwardness Atrix had while she cleaned. "Take your friend with you for her change of clothes too. She's attracting everyone's attention," he said. He needed his men to focus on their tasks. Hijikata took ahold of the woman's hand and placed a small bag of money into her hand. "This isn't much, but just get yourselves something simple. And... Take Souji with you." Once when his words were spoken, he returned to his own duties, leaving Atrix behind to stare at what rested in the palm of her hand.

"Why Souji...?" Atrix made a face in slight annoyance, only for it to turn into a tint of sadness. The guy picked on her often, due to her boyish appearance. "Right," She shook her head and went to gather Kaita first, and then to rely to the First Division Captain what Hijikata said. To her surprise, he made a comment about needing fresh air, leaving out any complaints.

Having never been out of the Shinsengumi compound yet, Souji lead their way through the streets with a stubble smile resting on his lips. Atrix trailed after him, her eyes catching on everything she saw. "Wow!" Her eyes brightened at the fresh scent of something sweet, a smile gracing her own lips.

"Hm?" Souji turned his head to peer back at her. The male's smile turned into one of a smirk. "I guess it's true you're not from this period. How much has this place changed?"

Kaita pipped up as she came to Atrix's side. "It's nothing like this. Everything is different," She answered the male's question. In response, Souji hummed for a second before he guided them successfully to the place they had clothes to choose from.

Both of the girls started to browse the available clothing around the shop. She watched as a dissatisfied frown settled on her friend's face. "I can't find anything that goes for my interest. I saw a place to buy groceries while we came here. Would you mind if I quickly went there to get some things for dinner?" The question was directed at Souji.

The male shrugged and said, "Don't wander too far. I won't come to find you if you get lost, you know."

Atrix saw her friend give a nod before she went on her way. "Be careful!" She called out to Kaita, a spike of concern hitting her heart. They were in a world full of danger, not knowing what laid around every corner. She couldn't help but be worried. With a heavy sigh, she went back to browsing the clothes. Even she didn't want to have to go through the trouble of wearing a kimono that restricted the body. Saito's was more loose, so moving around wasn't too much of an issue. Still, she wanted to have something that would allow her to move.

At last, something caught her eyes. A light blue kimono top with the white hakama tucked underneath it. Souji, who was scanning the area, spotted her interest in the clothing made for men. "Eeeh? Put more effort in being a girl. You would have guys batting their eyelashes at you if you showed skin like Kaita does," The male raised an eyebrow in exasperation.

"Not everyone wants to wear something like that. Kaita didn't have a choice." Though, Atrix was becoming certain her friend was becoming very accustomed to the flashy apparel. "I just feel comfortable in clothes that I don't have to worry about," She lifted the kimono up. Just as she lifted it, Souji's face came close to her own. His green eyes stared right into her teal eyes, as though observing something. She had to take a step back to put some space between them.

"I still think it would make you look more feminine. You look like a dude," Souji stated once more. Annoyance started to creep into the female's expression.

"For crying out loud, let me wear what I want. You already know I'm a female, so what's it to you if others think I'm a guy? It would keep them from targeting me," She brought the kimono top close to her chest as she stared straight at Souji, her eyes unwavering.

Souji looked like he was about to say something when they both flinched from a pain that vibrated from the back of their heads. The older male must have kept his eyes opened, as his eyes caught not only her reacting the same time he did, but also the pale red mark resting on her wrist. Instinctively, he reached out and pulled her closer to him in order to take a closer look. It was the same exact one he had.

"Hey!" Atrix squirmed and tried to get out of the man's strong grip. "Let go!" The small commotion set a few murmurs going through the shop. From afar, it appeared as if the man was forcing her to him. Souji glanced around before he let go. "Pay for the clothes and let's go. We'll pick your friend up on the way back," he instructed and nodded his head towards the shop owner. Atrix didn't have to be told twice. She scampered towards to owner and paid what was due before she and Souji made their way back to the Shinsengumi.

The First Division Captain chose to keep quiet on the mark, for now. He wanted to check to see if anyone else had the mark. It can't be a coincidence that both he and Atrix shared the same pain and the same exact mark, there's just no way.

Atrix went a few stalls away to where the stalls to buy food laid ahead. Her friend was not among them. "She's not here?" Her heart dropped with worry. Did something happen to her? Maybe she should have gone with her friend instead. The worrying thoughts begun to pour in.

While she was diving into worst-case scenarios, Souji's saw a familiar group out of the corner of his vision. He turn his head slightly. It was Shinpachi, Heisuke, as well as Kaita. The male 'heh'ed quietly to himself before be caught up to the panicking female. "Let's go back to the Shinsengumi Headquarters. I have a feel your friend is just fine~" He kept the discovery to himself. Souji started to usher the young woman back towards where their home was.

As soon as they got back to the Compound, Atrix darted off, quickly throwing her newly bought clothes into her room. She rushed around the place, trying to find her friend. The frantic female asked anyone she happened to come across or bump into. Eventually, Saito pulled aside to get her to stop running everywhere. "Running around like that isn't going to help you. Calm down," He said once when they were safely out of everyone's way.

"But what if Kaita-- What if something bad happened to her?!" Atrix voiced, her voice cracked with such concern. The samurai looked down at her with his sharp blue eyes.

"Panicking isn't going to get you anywhere. Think calmly," Came Saito's response. When he saw her calm down a bit, he added, "I will let the Vice Commander know. If she hasn't returned by sunset, we will arrange a search party." Once when he said those words, the male went on his way, leaving Atrix to her thoughts.

"Kaita... Come back." Atrix let out a suppressed whimper. She couldn't handle being alone in this place. Everyone is nice and kind, most of them anyway, but having her best friend by her side was something she treasured. It gave her confidence.

She sat down on the edge of the floor, her eyes looking down towards the ground below. Atrix's ears perked when she started to hear a commotion towards the kitchen. Curious, the stressing female got up and went to go take a look at what was causing everyone to gather. Sniffing the air as she drew closer, she picked up on the scent of something cooking. Pushing her way through the door, her eyes shined with relief. Kaita was cooking.

Knowing her friend was well and okay, her body released the tension it had gathered. She can now relax until the meal was finished. Seeing how late it was, Atrix decided it would be appropriate to wait until after dinner to change her clothes. She gently rubbed her eyes with the black sleeve.

Everyone gathered in the usual room the housed the routine meals, steaming plates and bowels sitting right in front of everyone. It was a balanced dinner of rice, vegetables, and fish. Everyone thanked Kaita for the meal and went at their food, digging right into it. Murmurs of compliments headed to her friend's ears. Atrix had her cooking before, so this wasn't anything new to her.

The conversation stayed civilized. Which was pretty rare, with some sort of excited talk. It was a peaceful atmosphere. The time passed quickly while the group ate and talked. Souji was silently observing everyone, wondering if anyone else bore the strange x-shaped mark. With everyone's wrists turned down, it wasn't an easy thing to do. Feeling rather frustrated, the brown haired male made an attempt of getting at least a few people to raise their hand.

"Let's play a game~ I'll start. If you're wearing clothes, raise your left hand," It was the most easiest way instead of going about it the long way and checking everyone's wrists individually.

"Oi, what kind of game is that?" Heisuke squinted his eyes at the older male.

"Don't question and just do it," Souji smirked and raised his own hand. "Like this, see?" There was a chance that everyone else who held the mark would see his own. Sure enough, Saito's observant eyes caught sight of the faint scar. Everyone else was oblivious to it. Even so, Souji was able to gather who had it when they all raised their hand.

"Thank you for playing~! The next one will come tomorrow by none other than Hijikata!" That was a lie. The so-called 'game' allowed him to get the information he needed. Dissatisfied voices were directed, but he shrugged it off. The Vice Commander didn't seem so thrilled but this turn of events. He was going to have a chat with him.

With the end of dinner, a handful of the males cleared out the room, leaving the ones who housed the mark in the room. How convenient. Just as Atrix was getting ready to leave the room to head back to her own, something caught her attention. The strangely shaped mark started to glow blue. Seeing another bright glow out of the corner of her eye, she glanced over at her friend. Her wrist was also glowing the same color. In the same shape. One by one, the glow appeared on Souji, Shinpachi, Saito, and Heisuke as well. It blinked once before a holographic message appeared out of it.

"Mission 1: Find the Last Person"

\-------

Kaita's POV:

After parting ways with Souji and Atrix, Kaita made her way back to the stall that she saw the items that would make a good addition to a meal tonight. She thought back to the clothing items she saw back at the shop but nothing seemed right, better yet what she saw was much to girly and restricting.

Even though Kaita could feel some stares on her, she paid no mind to it. Once at the shop she looked over everything that she could possibly use to make a meal for a big group of people. Though her cooking skills were none to boast about, she could make a pretty decent meal.

Unbeknownst to Kaita a group of men had spotted her and made their way in her direction. “Look what we have here. This girl knows how to make an impression with all that skin showing.” One of the men joked as he got closer to Kaita. She felt self-conscious even more with herself now that the men were talking about her. Looking over her shoulder, she could see that there was at least five men surrounding her, but what caught her eye were the swords that sat on their sides. They were ronin.

The people around and in the shop didn’t want to pay any mind to the ordeal that Kaita was facing. Most of them turned a blind eye so that they didn’t get caught up in anything that was transpiring. Kaita had by now turned around to face the men but didn’t look them in the eye to shy away from their intimidating look.

“Now look at this pretty face. Why don’t you spend some time with us and leave your shopping for another time?” Another one of the men moved closer to Kaita as she tried to take a step back to get away from the men. His hand shot out to grab Kaita’a but was only met with a slap.

Kaita was now looking at the men with cold eyes. “Don’t you dare touch me.” The ronin were taken aback by her reaction but that only angered them.

“What the hell did you just say, bitch?!” One of them had his hand on the hilt of his sword ready to unsheathe it if the next words he heard from the girl pissed him off even more.

“You heard me you, jerk. I said keep your hands off me. I’m not going anywhere with any of you. I’m not that kind of girl.” Kaita spat the words at the men. That was when the first ronin that approached Kaita grabbed her and dragged her away from the shop to a nearby alleyway. “What the hell! Let go of me, you bastard.”

The ronin did just that but a little rougher than Kaita had expected, and it caused her to fall back and look up at the ronin. “You think you’re so tough now, bitch. Look at where you are now. Nowhere to go. You’ve ticked me off and now you’re going to pay.” At that moment, the ronin all reached for their swords but before they could do anything, a hand had reached for one of the men’s shoulders.

“Now, now, I don’t want you hurting my precious girl. That would make me even more upset than I am now after seeing you harass her in the middle of her shopping. But no, you just had to cat call her like some tramp and walk up to her.” Kaita looked beyond the ronin to see who it was that had saved her. She was a bit dazed, but the words the man had said irked her. She wasn’t anyone’s girl, so who was being so presumptuous? Her eyes widened when she saw that it was Shinpachi that had stepped in to help her out of her predicament.

“Shinpachi!!!” Kaita smiled to see a familiar face. One could also see that he was not alone. Heisuke and a few other men were with him. Not only that but they had on their blue haori. The ronin took steps to back away from Shinpachi and Heisuke who looked like they would kill the first guy to make another move towards Kaita.

That was simply enough for the ronin to back down. Some clicked their tongues in disappointment and turned their backs to walk away. “You’re a lucky girl. If the wolves of Mibu hadn’t come, you would have learned a valuable lesson.” With that remark, the ronin had left.

Shinpachi made his way to Kaita and stretched out his hand, “Come on.” Kaita took ahold of his hand only to find that the next moment she was really close to his chest. This made Kaita blush but at the same time, Heisuke became irritated and Shinpachi gave off a smile to Kaita.

“You can let go of her too, you big loaf.” Heisuke hit Shinpachi to let go of Kaita and give some space but the next moment he knew was that he, Kaita, and Shinpachi were grabbing their heads in pain.

“What the heck was that for Heisuke? I was going to let go of her. I was just making sure she was okay.” Shinpachi got up in Heisuke’s face and glared at him.

“Checking if she’s okay, my ass. You were holding her to your chest and not letting go with that weird perverted smile on your face.” Heisuke’s voice started to get louder and it seemed that more punches would fly at any moment.

“I’m fine really Heisuke....” But it seemed that Kaita’s words fell on deaf ears as the two were about to fight as their fist were going to make impact with the other’s face. “THAT IS ENOUGH OUT OF YOU TWO!” Kaita shocked herself as she yelled at the two, but it also shocked Shinpachi and Heisuke, enough to make them stop their fight. Kaita had been so quiet around everyone since she began staying at the Shinsengumi headquarters.

“I’m okay. Thank you to the both of you for coming to help me out.” Kaita bowed her head in appreciation. This only made the two rubbed the back of their necks and sigh. “As long as you’re okay that’s what counts.” Heisuke smiled at Kaita as he nodded in agreement with Shinpachi’s words.

“How about we accompany you back to the Shinsengumi? You must be tired after going through all that.” Heisuke motioned for Kaita to follow them but she stayed where she was.

“No that’s fine. I was still shopping when they came up to me.” Kaita had walked past Heisuke and Shinpachi and back towards the street. Even the other members of both squads had stepped back. “I should finish what I was going to do before heading back.” Kaita motioned towards the store that was selling groceries. The men started to murmur amongst themselves and even Shinpachi and Heisuke were curious.

“Were you shopping for groceries?” Heisuke questioned Kaita only to get a simple nod and smile. This made him blush slightly.

“Then how about we help you out, since I think getting enough groceries would be too much for you carry on your own.” Heisuke agreed with Shinpachi as he took his haori off and handed it to one of his squad members. He instructed that the man take the haori back to his room once back at the Shinsengumi; Shinpachi did the same.

It wasn’t long after that the three of them wandered in and out of the vendor stalls that were selling groceries. Even though Kaita was still on edge being with the two men, she still somehow felt at ease being accompanied by them. Plus, she was still a bit conscious of her outfit. Kaita would have to find something more suited that way it wouldn’t be too revealing.

After buying a great handful of veggies, sacks of rice, and some mouth-watering fish, the three of them set back to the Shinsengumi headquarters. “So what exactly are you going to do with all of this Kaita?” Shinpachi looked at Kaita quizzically; Heisuke looked annoyed at the other male.

“Of course, she’s going to cook something Shinpachi.” Heisuke gave an exasperated sigh and shook his head.

“Well, yes I am.” Kaita gave out a response in a soft voice that the two had to strain their ears to hear it. “I’m actually going to make dinner for everyone tonight.” At that, both Heisuke and Shinpachi’s eyes went wide. Since they had made it to the entrance of the Shinsengumi compound, those nearby turned their heads to hear what Kaita had said.

“Did you all hear that? Ms. Raimon is going to be making dinner tonight!” “A meal cooked by a woman should taste way better than one cooked by a man.” “Now this is a treat!” The commotion grew and grew as Kaita made her way over to the kitchen. Her face was flushed with all the attention that she was getting from everyone.

Shinpachi and Heisuke tried their best to keep the rest of the men of the Shinsengumi at bay to leave Kaita to do as she wished in the kitchen. Kaita set out to organize the meal accordingly and cooked in a methodological manner. She was well aware that she had spectators watching her cook, and Kaita could practically hear their stomachs growling for the food.

Kaita heaved a breath of triumph as she prepared that last meal tray to be taken to the mess hall. Those that were spectating practically rushed to find a seat and get ready to dig in to the meal. Once everyone had started eating, Kaita couldn’t help but smile at the delightful faces that the men were making while eating the meal she prepared. She continued to eat her portion as she listened to the conversations that were happening until she heard Souji’s voice. When she looked over at the brown haired male, Kaita simply stared at the mark he had on his wrist. He has it too?! Her thoughts were wondering if any of the others had the same mark.


	5. Chapter 4: The Last Person

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~ I must let you all know that I do not have internet access, so chapters will be updated slowly ~

The last person? What did that mean? Atrix frowned. Taking a look around the room, everyone else’s was displaying the same message. Someone else had the mark. She looked over at Kaita before looking over at Souji. Thinking about the earlier incident with Souji grabbing her wrist back in town, she assumed he had already known.

"Mission? Last person? What is this?!" Heisuke voiced with a mixture of suspicion and wonder.

"Why the hell is it glowing?!" Shinpachi asked with more confusion.

If he didn't have his answer before, Souji certainly had it now. What he didn't count on was there being a seventh person. There was one more who held the mark. Having seen everyone else's wrists, the final person wasn't in this room. Nor here within the Shinsengumi compound.

Kaita stared down at her own wrist, unsure of what to say. She glanced over at Atrix. Everyone was confused as to what was going on. "We all have the same mark...," Kaita murmured the obvious. Saito and Souji were the only two in the room who looked calm. Though, who knew what their real thoughts were about this.

Soon enough, the blue glow dimmed and the faded marks returned. Each of the marks wrapped around their wrist, forming something close to a bracelet. It wasn’t entirely pleasing to the eye and would bring about suspicion. That was the least of everyone's worry. Who was this last person? Was it someone they knew? Everyone was bound to be asking these questions to themselves.

"I suggest we cover the marks. We do not need to have everyone see it and worry over it," Saito spoke up. His blue eyes travelled to each individual within the room. It was a suggestion that made sense. One that would be wise to do. They couldn't have it glowing suddenly like this. That really would bring curiosity and suspicion upon them. "Until we know what this is, do not show it to anyone," the purple-haired samurai added before he stood up. He was the first to leave the room.

With so much confusion, they all agreed and retreated to their rooms for the night. Souji was the second on to leave, followed by Shinpachi and Heisuke. Atrix and Kaita were the last two to leave the room. Kaita slid the door closed behind them as they made their way to their separate rooms.

"I wonder what these marks are... And what this mission stuff is about," Kaita asked quietly as they reached the doors to her room.

"I don't know... But don't get hurt. It wasn't said, but I think... We're connected somehow," Atrix responded in her own quiet voice. She wasn't entirely sure, but from how she and Souji grimaced in pain earlier, it was likely.

Saying their good nights to each other, the two went into their own rooms to get some sleep.

\--------------

Atrix's POV:

As she closed the door to her room, Atrix stood where she was for several minutes. Shaking her head, she bent to pick up the clothes she threw into her room earlier. Now was the time to change, before she went to sleep. Slowly, she laid the new clothes out and untied the obi around her waist. As it slid to the ground, the black kimono became loose and fell to the ground as well. Grabbing the kimono top, Atrix put it on before she moved to the hakama. As she pulled the pants up, she tied the sides together to ensure they wouldn't fall. Tucking in the sides, she tied different obi around her waist to hide the strings keeping the hakama from falling off. Once when that was tied, she patted her sides.

The material was comfortable. It also provided the space to freely to move around. Atrix smiled to herself before folding the kimono she had borrowed from Saito. "I'm sure he'll be glad to have this back," Atrix voiced softly. Placing them aside, she crawled into her futon, pulling the cover up to her chin. She curled on her side and closed her eyes. Sleep came easily that night.

The next few days were quiet. Those who housed the mark each had their own way of hiding it from sight. There had been much activity either, giving the Shinsengumi compound a more peaceful feeling for the time being.

Having taken the time to wash the kimono Saito had loaned her, she was taking the chance to return it him before he has to go out for patrol. "Saito!" She called out as she spotted him walking down a hallway, likely leading to his room. The male paused and turned his head towards the voice who called him. As Atrix reached his side, she held out the neatly folded clothes. "Here. Thank you for lending me these," She said gratefully.

Saito eyed the new clothes she sported. "Blue suits you," He complimented as he took his clean clothes from her. He was indeed grateful to have his spare kimono returned, though he didn't seem to mind as much about having let her borrow it.

"Thank you," Atrix blushed lightly. She turned the opposite way of where Saito was heading and went to get some tools to clean. The day went by slowly. From what she had been informed, Kaita had gone off with someone called Yamazaki. This left her alone to her own thoughts.

"Who's the last person?" Wanting to know was leaving the young woman anxious. She subconsciously tugged at the cloth around her wrist. In order to hide the mark, she ripped apart the shirt she had worn into this world, making a form of band to wear. She used string to keep it from sliding off her arm. It's was black. Thanks to the sleeve to the kimono top, it made it barely noticeable.

Shaking her thoughts away, she went on to clean. With Kaita off somewhere, she was left to clean both of their shared. That certainly made time go by quickly. It let her focus on that for a while. As she finished sweeping near the front entrance, she spotted Saito heading toward the kitchen. With the cleaning done for the day, Atrix decided to see what Saito had planned for tonight's meal.

Once when the broom was stored away in a closet, the female went to the kitchen. The door was left open, allowing fresh air to vent through the kitchen. "Hey,” Atrix smiled as she poked her head into the room. Saito paused from his chopping to glance over at her.

"What is it?" The male asked as he returned to his task.

"I was wondering if I could help with anything," Atrix spoke softly, trying to hide the hope she was seeping into her words.

Saito paused once more before giving a single nod. "Can you prepare the tofu?" He asked. Atrix looked over at where the white blocks laid. Giving a small look at what was already out, she can assume all he ever made was tofu.

"Saito, shouldn't you make a couple dishes that aren't tofu related?" Her voice showed concern for the others who had to eat this. It may be healthy, but having a balanced meal would be wiser. Her quickly continued, "Ah, I'm not saying to not have any tofu in the meal, but...," Atrix looked at the blocks once more, hoping Saito knew what she was trying to aim for.

As though considering her words, the purple-haired samurai gave a reluctant nod. "Would you be in charge of those dishes then? The main dish will be tofu." In other words, he will comply with switching out a couple dishes.

"Yes!" Atrix smiled and went to it. She looked through the left over ingredients and decided to make a broth. She would also make some rice as well. It would be a simple meal, but one that fills the stomach to say the least. With the two of them working together, it came out smoothly. Soon enough, the food was ready.

That night as everyone was sitting around the table, enjoying their meal with their usual conversation routines. Heisuke was complying as Shinpachi took his food. Something he did quite often. To the point where everyone was used to it. As that was going on, Atrix was taking a gulp of the broth when the door slid open and Inoue stepped in.

"Hijikata sent word from Osaka. Sannan has incurred a great injury," The kind man gravely said. The atmosphere in the room became serious.

"How bad are his injuries?" Shinpachi asked with worry as he leaned forward.

"His wounds are deep, but the injury was to his left arm, I'm afraid. It'll be difficult for him to hold a sword, but his life is not in danger," Inuoe answered with a settled frown. A look of concern crossed nearly everyone's faces.

"That's good, isn't it?" Kaita asked, though her own tone suggested she didn't believe it to be so. She had experience with how fighting works. Atrix did not, so she chose to keep her mouth shut on this. If she thought about it, everyone who wields a katana uses both hands to support the sword. If one hand was unable to withstand the weight, then it would cause strain on the other arm.

"A samurai uses both arms to wield a sword successfully. With an injured arm, he may not be able to hold a sword again," Saito confirmed steadily. As Inuoe pardoned himself to go speak with Kondo, Souji spoke up.

"Well, if it comes down to it, Sannan can just take the medicine," he said simply.

"Don't talk foolishness. We can't risk a Shinsengumi leader like that," Shinpachi's voice was dangerously low as he glared over at the other male.

"Isn't Sannan the Shinsengumi's Deputy Commander?" Kaita asked, a look of confusion on her face. Shinpachi was about to respond, but Heisuke beat him to it.

"You got it wrong. The term Shinsengumi means 'newly corrected core', right? For the Shinsengumi we're talking about, the 'shin' part means-," Just as the younger male was explaining something, Harada went onto the defensive. To the point where the red-haired male reacted strongly. "HEISUKE!" Just as he called his name, the male's fist went flying, knocking the smaller male across the room.

Atrix's eyes went wide with shock. Not just from what just happened, but the moment Heisuke was punched, it felt like she had been too. Saito's jaw clenched as he felt the pain spread over his cheek. Souji tightened the grip on his arm from when he crossed it. Shinpachi flinched visibly, but that can easily be from watching his friend get hit. The good thing is the pain didn't last.

"You went too far, Sano!" Shinpachi barked out. Heisuke pressed a hand to his cheek as he slowly righted himself. "I'm sorry, Sano. But geez, you're certainly quick to swing," He mumbled as his left eye closed for a brief moment. His cheek was red from where Harada's fist had made impact. Harada himself looked sorry to have caused it.

It was on that note when dinner ended. With the air still feeling heavy, everyone went to their rooms. Well, except for the few who had reports to complete.

It was the following night during supper when Sannan and Hijikata returned. Hijikata was the first to enter the mess hall, his purple eyes reflecting his exhaustion. Sannan entered after him, his left arm in a sling. All eyes had turned to him. The smile the male wore was more sour than any other time he had smiled. "What's the long faces everyone? I'm perfectly fine," Sannan voiced, the last bit sounded more forced to Atrix's ears.

No one dared to make a comment about his arm, knowing well the man wasn't in a good mood, despite his attempts at appearing the same as he usually does. Atrix turned to look at her friend, who's expression didn't reveal her thoughts.

"I will go to my room. I'm... Really tired," Sannan said as he pardoned himself from the room. He must be finding it awkward. Unless, it had more to do with an injured ego. Then again, it was something she herself didn't understand. She simply nodded along with everyone else as the man exited.

That night's meal was more or less, quiet. Nearly just like the night before.

Atrix glanced up as she spotted Kaita stand up. The group around her turned to look curiously at what she was doing. "I don't think Sannan should go without food... I'll go make him something to help," she stated. Concerned and worried looks were castes her way by Heisuke and Shinpachi.

"I don't know if that would be a good idea... He might see that as you taking pity on him," Heisuke said as he shifted into his knees. The smaller girl shook her head at him. "He can think what he wants, but not eating anything isn't going to help him period," Kaita responded. Her voice was steady, revealing she wasn't trying to take pity on the injured man, but to have the chance to eat. With that, the female left the room, leaving the others behind.

Atrix quickly finished her meal to go help Kaita; however, Shinpachi was already there by the time she brought in her dishes. Without saying a word, the young woman left her friend to the older male. As she walked down one of the hallways, The Vice Commander walked directly into her path to get her attention. This caused her to blink up expectantly at the man.

"I would like you to run a small errand for me," Hijikata asked, nearly apologetically. "I know it's late, but there is a shop that is opened all day long. I would go, but I must complete a report. Would you mind going there and buying some more ink and paper?"

"Sure," Atrix nodded. It wasn't as if she had anything else to do. It would also allow her to see what Kyoto was like at night. A look of relief appeared briefly on Hijikata's face as he handed her a small bag of money. "Use this to by the material."

With the money in hand, the female left the Shinsengumi Compound and made her way to the shop. It wasn't too hard to find, with the light from it being one of the few people can see in the night. As she went inside, the owner greeted her. Finding the ink and paper took no effort. Once when she paid for a few bottles of ink and a large pack of paper, Atrix made her way home.

As she walked, she started to hear the unnatural rhythm of pounding footsteps from behind her. With it being late, an unsettling uneasiness gripped itself over the woman's heart. The steps grew closer with each passing minute, becoming more uneven. It was to believe it was from someone who was moving strangely and quickly. Breaking into a faster pace, Atrix chose to take a back alley in hopes of not colliding with whoever it was that was behind her.

Luck wasn't on her side. Someone, or something, landed right in front of her path, blocking her way. Coming to a halt, Atrix peered warily at who it was. The white hair wasn't what set her off; it was what pierced her that did. Bloodthirsty red eyes that casted a haunting glow. A twisted smile was directed at her as the person's katana dragged on the ground.

"E-excuse me," Her voice was barely a whisper. Fear's hold tightened its grip as a shrill laughter shattered the air.

"Blood..!" Drool dripped down the man's chin, his eyes wild. "Give me... Blood!" Raising the sword off the ground, he drew closer.

With fear keeping her immobilized, she could only managed to take a few steps back before stumbling down onto her rear. Her teal eyes glazed with fright as the moonlight glared off the blade. It rose up before swinging down. A sound snapped her out of the trance and allowed her the chance to move. It wasn't fast, but the half roll to the side didn't offer a fatal blow upon impact. A blazing pain caused her to flinch greatly, a warm liquid pooling from the cut. Blood. The sight only enticed the deranged man, making him chant the need for blood over and over.

He came forward once more, the blade already lashing out, despite not being near enough to harm her.

'Move!' Her brain screamed at her. Her muscles, however, didn't allow her that much freedom. The most she could managed to move was to the wall. Still lashing, the bloodthirsty beast swung wide and brought the katana down. Squeezing her eyes shut of the pain that would have came, she suddenly heard the loud metallic cling of steel against steel. Opening her eyes instantly, she was surprised to see someone standing before her. Recognizing the attire, Atrix realized who just saved her life. "Chikage?!"

Hearing his name spoken, he turned his head to look at her sideways. "I said we'd meet again, didn't I?" That was just a cover. He saw her get hurt. He wouldn't have actually cared, if he hadn't felt that pain. The same pain she had been inflicted with. Turning his attention back to the being in front of him, he ended that life ruthlessly. Slicing both the neck and the chest, deep enough to kill. Flinging the blood off of his sword, he returned it to its sheath. He turned to Atrix, his Crimson eyes looking directly at her.

Atrix was turning her gaze down when she noticed something familiar on the male's resting left arm. She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling it towards her to look at it. The mark. The mark she and the others had.

"You're-," Just before she could finish what she was saying, the mark glowed blue and virtualized confetti exploded from it. The words 'Mission Cleared' can also be read. Letting go of his hand, she quickly took off the cloth she had tied around her wrist. It too was glowing that vibrant blue.

The last person to share the tie has been found.

\----------------

Kaita's POV:

Kaita entered her room but simply laid down on her futon to stare at the ceiling. She pondered over Atrix’s remark about not getting hurt. She could understand why because she felt it more than once before, a certain amount of pain that not even she could comprehend come out of nowhere.

“Just what is going on? The more things happen the more questions there are...” With that, Kaita stayed lost in her thoughts until she fell asleep.

As the days had passed Kaita had donned a small wrapping around her wrist. Those who noticed it asked her what happened, all she said was that while cooking the other day she burnt herself. Everyone who asked simply told her to heal up soon and that they wanted to eat more meals that she made for them.

She couldn’t help but let out a sigh as she made her way about the compound. “I really need to get some new clothes. Heisuke would probably want these back. Plus, nothing really appealed to me the other day when I went with Atrix and Souji.” Kaita let out another sigh but sensed that someone was behind her.

“It’s no use sighing the whole time. You’ll let your happiness escape. If you want, I’ll take you to get some clothing that would suit you.” The male simply watched Kaita. He seemed younger than her but had this air about him that told her that he was very much a warrior just like anyone else in the Shinsengumi compound.

“Umm...Thank you I guess... but who are you...” Kaita couldn’t help but whisper, when it came to unfamiliar faces she did tend to revert to being shy. The male simply bowed his head and introduced himself as Yamazaki. “Nice to meet you.... Yamazaki-kun...”

Yamazaki motioned for Kaita to follow him. Upon doing so, he led her to a small shop that was just off the main street of the marketplace just outside of the compound. “Hear you can find clothing that might not be as constraining as the ones you saw the other day with Souji.”

Kaita was about ask how he knew about what she saw at the shop that Souji had taken Atrix and her too but she let it go. She looked around at the various colors of short kimono tops. Her stopped on a soft green color kimono top, Kaita couldn’t help but smile. For some reason just looking at the color put her at ease but didn’t know why.

Besides the soft green top, she also took notice of a semi light purple haori with no sleeves. Yamazaki came over to Kaita with a pair of almost knee length hakama style shorts to go with her outfit. “Just looking at these pieces together makes it seem like I’m getting ninja attire.” Yamazaki just looked at her, “Well it did seem the most logical type of attire to suit you.” With that, Kaita felt shocked, everything she was looking at was really what Yamazaki classified as ninja wear.

As Kaita made her way to pay for the items of clothing Yamazaki put down a subtle obi to complete her outfit. “You always need a matching obi no matter what.” Kaita simply bowed her head in thanks to him and finished the transaction.

As they head back to the Shinsengumi compound, she could not help but look around at the street again. Though she may seem suspicious, she was just taking in the sight of being in the past. As Kaita looked around a small trinket caught her eye causing her to stop and stare at it. Yamazaki peered over her shoulder to see what caught the female’s attention but simply took note of it. “Come one we shouldn’t be late in getting back.”

Kaita had to force herself to look away from the beautifully crafted hair ornament. It had what seemed like small butterflies and sakura blossoms hanging from the end with white and red colored fabric to make it pop. She jogged to catch up to Yamazaki as they got closer to the entrance to the compound.

Once back Kaita rushed to her room to change into her newly acquired outfit. Putting it on somewhat made her uncomfortable but then again she had somehow grown accustomed to the outfit she borrowed from Heisuke. Making sure that the outfit was in order Kaita made sure nothing looked out of place.

Seeing as how it should be dinnertime, she made her way to mess hall where everyone was gathering. Everyone took notice that she was wearing something different; this made her blush at the attention she was getting. Shinpachi sat next to her on one side and Heisuke on the other. Both of the males appeared to have a smile on their face as they looked at the outfit, but another voice seemed to usher a more teasing atmosphere amongst the complements.

“My, my... doesn’t that outfit cover you up. You looked better in Heisuke’s outfit; it made you look more appealing. Then again with this outfit you seem to match Shinpachi’s headband. One would think that you two are a couple by wearing the same color. ~”

Shinpachi shot a look at Souji who was teasing Kaita but also aggravating him. “Oi, Souji... Stop your antics and leave her alone. This new outfit suits her just fine.” He crossed his arms as Souji shrugged his shoulders and walked away. “I’m just stating my opinion. ~”

Kaita couldn’t help but look down at the floor. Her face and ears burning, she had now realized why the color of the kimono top had made her feel at ease, and it reminded her of Shinpachi. As to the reason why, Kaita couldn’t understand it.

Everyone’s attention seemed to shift from that of her outfit to the food that was now being served. She smiled at times when she saw Shinpachi reach over to take some of Heisuke’s food, even on occasion tried to sneak a piece of her own food to his plate.

It seemed like nothing could change the mood but Kaita then regretted the happy thought. The door slid open and Inoue had entered the room with disturbing news about Sannan. Tension in the room seemed to be suffocating and that made it unbearable to breathe. Questions about Sannan flew from left and right, even coming from Shinpachi.

Upon hearing the injury was to his left arm Kaita spoke her thoughts, “That’s good, isn’t it?” Even though she knew first hand that an injury during a fight could have repercussions later on. Kaita, just like Atrix, kept her mouth shut from there on out. She simply continued to listen, but her ears perked when Heisuke mentioned something about some sort of medicine.

She had asked him about Sannan’s status within the Shinsengumi before being corrected by Heisuke. However, his explanation was short lived when Harada cut him short and punched him. At seeing Heisuke being punched, Kaita flinched when she felt pain spread over her cheek. She wanted to call out but it was best to grin and bear it.

Dinner seemed to end on a very sour note. Kaita followed suit and just went to her room to sleep. There was nothing more that she could do seeing as how the men of the Shinsengumi had their secrets. That’s when she thought that it was alright to have a secret since she had her own dark secret to hide.

The next day seemed to go on like any other day, but it was after dinner when Sannan and Hijikata returned. Kaita simply watched the men, out of the corner of her eye she saw her friend look her way. But she made sure that her expression did not give away her thoughts to Atrix.

Kaita had watched in silence as Sannan excused himself from the room to return to his own quarters. Dinner that night seemed to just drag on like the end of last night’s dinner. Kaita finished her meal and stood quietly to leave the room. Even though she got some questionable looks directed towards her, she paid no mind to them.

"I don't think Sannan should go without food... I'll go make him something to help," she stated as she made her towards the door. It was Heisuke’s words that stopped her momentarily from leaving. She simply shook her head at the male as she turned to face him. "He can think what he wants, but not eating anything isn't going to help him period.”

With no more words, Kaita left the room and made her way to the kitchen. She had decided to make Sannan something simple to eat. As she gathered the rice to make onigiri, she heard someone walk into the kitchen.

“You should just leave Sannan-san be Kaita. He’ll be fine just missing one meal.” Kaita turned to see Shinpachi standing behind her, but she simply shook her head in disagreement.

“No, it’s not right. I’m still going to make him something whether he or anyone else says anything about it. End of that.” Kaita could hear that her voice was strained with a slight tinge of anger. She didn’t mean to get mad at Shinpachi but the words from him and everyone else just rubbed her the wrong way.

Shinpachi couldn’t help but sigh, even those who had come to the kitchen to talk sense into her just turned away and left her be. Heisuke even came by to apologize if his words had hurt her in some way but backed away when he saw Shinpachi with Kaita. “Tch... always gotta play the hero....”

Shinpachi continued to sway Kaita from cooking anything for Sannan but she simply ignored him. She was carrying a plate to be washed but it never made it into the washbasin since Kaita flinched at the pain she felt, like a cut quickly being sliced across her arm. She looked and even Shinpachi had grasped his arm in the pain. Composing herself, she picked the plate up and just put it into the washbasin. Kaita stopped with the preparations to make the simple onigiri due to her and Shinpachi noticing that their wrists were glowing the vibrant blue it had days before.

The message was clearly displayed. The seventh person had been found, but Kaita wondered who it was and where they were. Not only that, who had found this seventh person.


	6. Chapter 5: Inn Scuffle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Guys, please give us feedback if you can. That would be awesome. I do apologize if this chapter has some typos or grammar errors.~

Atrix’s POV:  
Having seen the reaction given by the girl when she noticed the strange mark on his wrist, the Oni narrowed his eyes. So, she was familiar with it? The look he sent her must had conveyed the question, for he received an answer.

"I... I don't know why we have this mark, but all I can say is our pain is connected." Atrix spoke up softly. That much was obvious, but the question would be 'Why?'. At this point, the glow had dulled back into the reddened mark. So, it was Chikage Kazama who shared all of their pain. Having experienced how the male could be from their first encounter, concern clouded her expression.

Judging by the expression, there was more to it. "Hmph. Who else has this?" The man asked. By the time he felt spurts of pain, there had to be more than just her.

Atrix didn't answer right away, as she thought of a proper way to answer. Lying would be pointless. "Some of the Shinsengumi men and my friend," The girl answered. It was vague, but the truth. Even so, it was no surprise when the Oni wasn't satisfied by the response. She stiffened when his red eyes pierced through her teal ones. With a nervous tone, she complied to be more specific.

"Kaita is the name of my friend, but as for the ones from the Shinsengumi, they would be: Saito, Souji, Shinpachi, and Heisuke." That was all. Atrix shifted her eyes to look down at the ink and paper that had fallen into the ground. Bending down, she picked up the items. It had grown late, and Hijikata was bound to be mad when it shouldn't have taken as long as it had.

"I should go," She spoke up as she looked up towards him.

Chikage closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them before he responded with, "Tell those fools they will regret it if they keep getting hurt. I am not afraid to kill them either. I am not weak as you humans." He would find it to be a nuisance, but he didn't believe one dying would do him much harm.

Ah, the others would surely dread knowing who the last member was. Even though she knew they would be angry or feel something similar, it would be a wise idea to share this information with them. They were all in this together, after all.

"Okay," Atrix agreed with a nod of her head. With the message in mind, she started her way back to the Shinsengumi Headquarters. As she walked away, she could feel the man's eyes on her.

It took her ten minutes to reach the entrance of the compound. She sighed in relief when no one was standing at the gate. Just as she was supposed to, she delivered the bottle of ink and the sheets of paper. Before Hijikata could ask why it took so long, Atrix was already returning to her room.

Just as she was a few feet from the door of her room, a black sleeved arm shot out in front of her. Startled, for she nearly bumped into it, Atrix turned her head to the right. Teal eyes met with blue.

"Saito?" The female tilted her head questionably at the man. Instead of giving a verbal response, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to the opposite side of the courtyard. Saito gave the silent command to sit down as the male went to retrieve something. When he returned, the samurai was holding a few things. From the looks of it, they appeared to be medical supplies. Things that would be found in a simple first aid kit.

The purple-haired man continued to keep quiet, even as he pushed the kimono sleeve up the female's arm. He slightly narrowed his eyes as a nasty gash bruised her pale arm. Dried blood had clustered around and over the wound. At last, the man decided to speak. "Earlier, I felt pain in my arm... A little after, the mark glowed and said 'Mission Cleared'. What happened?" Saito asked in the end.

Atrix hesitated in answering, but the calm eyes that bore into her tired ones had given her the push to tell. Taking a breath, she went on to tell him what had happened. She started with how Hijikata had her go out on an errand, and how something had chased her. At that part, Saito's jaw clenched.

"Who's the last person?" Saito asked, keeping a hard expression.

Knowing it would be found out eventually, Atrix gave her answer. "Chikage Kazama." After that, the man had returned to being silent. He continued to clean the injury until a majority of the dried blood was washed and wiped away. He did his best to wrap a bandage around her slender arm. Tucking the remaining fabric inside, he let out a sigh.

"Go get some rest. I'll let the others know," Saito instructed. He then went on by himself.

Atrix watched him leave before she stood up and made it back to her room, without any more interruptions. The female crawled into her futon and closed her eyes. Sleep was quick to come that night.

Saito went to the men who were involved with the mark and gathered then into a secluded room. He had opted out on informing Kaita, for he had something else to discuss with his fellow unit captains. Atrix could very well tell her friend, but the topic he needed to talk about was something they all must keep to themselves.

Once when they were all sitting, Saito told them what Atrix had shared with him. "Atrix found who the final person with the same mark. It's Chikage Kazama." Disgruntled and serious looks blended into one another. "She was also attacked by a Ratetsu," he added to conclude.

"How did she- Oh." Heisuke was about to as how she got away, but managed to put two and two together. Chikage had saved her.

 

"If you're so worried about word of our secret getting out, why don't we just kill her?" Souji asked casually with a smirk.

"No," Saito responded. "We share each other's pain. I do not wish to find out what could happen if one of us were to die or be killed." A valid reason. Neither did he wish to kill a woman, if it could be helped. The men gathered all excelled in wielding their weapon and their skill.

"What would you suggest we do?" Shinpachi asked.

"Don't tell them about the Ratetsu like we've been doing. If it reaches a point where revealing it becomes an option, then we will proceed from there," Saito said. Getting a basic plan was a good idea. They never know what could happen or how much the girls would find out. Having precaution wasn't a bad thing to have.

With that, the group disbanded and returned to their rooms for the night. They would have to figure out how to deal with Chikage as well. Things only seek to become more complicated each week.

The following morning, Atrix and Kaita were going about their daily chores. Granted, Atrix was moving at a slower pace than usual whenever she had to apply and kind of pressure to her injured arm. She didn't want to burden the others with any pain that could be linked between them. It went without saying, Kaita knew something was up.

"Hey, you weren't the one who got hurt last night, were you?" Her friend asked with concern and curiosity.

"I... I was attacked when I was sent out on an errand last night," Atrix answered. There was no way she was going to lie to her best friend. She also answered the next question she was sure Kaita wanted to ask. "Chikage Kazama. Chikage Kazama is the last person." The female wondered if Kaita knew him, if not, then it would be hard to explain.

"Chikage? I heard that he's a strong enemy of the Shinsengumi... Why would he be linked to us?" A question each of them wanted to ask. Neither of whom knowing the answer.

"Why are any of us linked?" Atrix countered asked. Another question none of them could provide an answer to. All of them wished to know, but they didn't have a choice but to learn on their own. If there happened to be more of those 'Mission's, then perhaps those could be an aid in leading them to the end of the path. It's just a question on whether it would happen again or not.

Both of the girls continued the cleaning duties in silence, Kaita picking up on helping out with Atrix's share since her arm was beginning to throb. Residual pain seem to only affect the original person who got hurt. That was nice to know, to some degree.

By noon, the compound was cleaned. Since they clean every day, the corridors no longer too an entire day to clean. It usually left them with little else to do. So, they found themselves in the meeting room with the Commander of the Shinsengumi, Kondo. They were all enjoying a casual chat.

Hijikata came into the room and was just about to sit down when Yamazaki made his presence known. He leaned over to whisper something into the Vice Commander's ear. By the expression he made, it was news he had been waiting for.

"Gather the unit captains," Hijikata instructed Yamazaki, who bowed and left the room in response. Not even fifteen minutes later, the group of men had been gathered. As an afterthought, Hijikata allowed Atrix and Kaita to stay in the room.

The Chosu and Satsuma are doing to be holding a meeting at Ikeda Inn. This is our chance to make a move." Hijikata relayed to what Yamazaki had told. "However, there was another possible point they could be at." The man went on to explain what his plan was. They would be splitting into two groups. Souji, Shinpachi, Heisuke, along with Kondo, would go to Ikeda Inn. Hijikata, Saito, and Harada would wait at the other possible revenue location. This would leave Sannan to protect the base.

As evening approached, the groups' were about ready to leave. They all sported the symbolic blue haori. Another handful of minutes later and they were all ready to go.

With the groups departing, Atrix stood with Kaita by the gates, watching the men go in opposite directions. If anything were to happen, Yamazaki may need their help with delivering news based on where the meeting was to be held. The ninja was working hard to gain the much-needed information so they would be able to act in time with the most effective plan and action.

Sure enough, Yamazaki entered the room the girls and Sannan were waiting in. The black clothes make told them the news they had been waiting for. "The meeting place is Ikeda Inn." Sannan didn't seem surprised. "With my current condition, I wouldn't be of much help... But...," The man gave a look to Atrix and Kaita. Taking the gesture, Atrix stepped up. "To get the news out to them faster, I would like Kaita to go after Hijikata's group, and Atrix will go after Kondo's group," Yamazaki decided. He made a quick decision to go with Kaita, in case there was the possibility of a faux attack to make it seem the fake location was the meeting spot.

"Let's go!" Yamazaki didn't want any time to be wasted. So, without further ado, the three went on their way.

Atrix sprinted for as long as she could, running the same path the group before her had. As she rounded a corner, she could pick up on the sound of steel striking steel. Looks like they already knew the Inn was the place they were going for, seeing how they already started the fight. They girl slowed to a stop. There was one little flaw. "I don't have a weapon..." Glancing around, her eyes landed on one that rested on the ground. Was it tossed aside? Not that she wanted to find out.

Hastily picking the katana up, she could feel the weight of the blade. Atrix was glad to have taken a few lessons with Kaita in order to help her friend with her practice back in their own time. While she wasn't as well trained, she should manage to hold her own. With a slight hesitation, Atrix ran into the Inn.

Just as she suspected, blood was splattered all over the floor and walls. The stench of blood filled the room. With a wave of determination, Atrix somehow avoided the brunt of the fight and climbed the stairs. She paused as a figure stood in her way. Suddenly, the guy collapsed and a random brush of air caressed her cheek. Turn her head, her teal eyes landed on Saito.

"Use your sword if you must," The stoic man said as his way of advice. He wouldn't be able to protect her again.

Atrix continued up the stairs, reaching the top without any more trouble. Her attention was drawn to a side room, hearing a shout. 'Souji...?' Gripping the hilt of the sword tightly, the female cautiously made her way to the room. As she reached it, she heard the clashing grow louder. Her eyes settled on the two in the room. Souji was facing off against Chikage. Having not felt any pain so far, neither of them had landed a blow just yet. She doubted it had anything to do with trying to avoid getting each other hurt. Neither of them were happy. Neither were they thrilled.

"How did you get this mark?" Souji asked as he struck his sword, missing as the Oni easily dodged. Even though he was aware of what the connection can do, Souji didn't seem to care of what could happen if either of them got a hit. Not that Chikage was any better.

As their scuffle grew more intense, an anxious feeling clawed through her. Souji was aiming to kill. Just as Atrix was about to step and block both of their blades, an uncomfortable pain racked her chest cavity, causing her to reel. At the same moment, Souji went into a fit of brought blood pooling into the Samurai's hand. A frustrated expression exchanged with his bewilderment. "Damn it!"

Chikage had paused when he also felt a foreign pain shake his chest. He was quick to recover, for he had raised his katana. He was using the opportunity to take Souji down while he's vulnerable. Seeing this, Atrix boldly blocked the Oni's line of sight, her own katana poised. No, she knew Chikage could easily cut her down, but even so, she didn't want to see anyone get killed. Especially when no one knew what would happen if any of them were killed. How badly would they each be effected? That was an answer she didn't wish to find out.

"Move," Chikage said with a cold glare. He made no move of putting his sword down. His Crimson eyes narrowed when his word was responded with a quick shake of the female's head. Atrix tightened her grip.

Souji used his sword as a sort of crutch as he tried to stand back up. "You heard him, I can still fight! Get out of the way!" Despite his words, the male was having problems with his breathing and standing up on his own.

Atrix whirled on her heel and pointed her katana at the weakened man. "That's rich coming from someone who can't even stand!" The young woman bristled, angry at the other's stubbornness. Souji was taken aback by her snapping, his green eyes slightly wide. He narrowed them almost instantly.

Just as Souji was about to make a retort, a sudden spike of pain sent the sickened male to the floor. Chikage noticeably flinched, and Atrix dropped the katana to hold her head. With Souji unable to fight anymore, the Oni slid his katana into its sheath. At the same time, the redheaded demon walked into the room. He looked at his companion and without saying anything else, Chikage and Amagiri left, fading from the naked eye.

Clearing her head, Atrix moved closer to Souji's side. The invisible blow to his chest, and the shared pain to the head. It was a wonder how the male hadn't lost consciousness. It did, however, weakened him, leaving him to not be able to walk on his own. It also left a very unhappy Souji. He sat there, waiting until his breathing to calm down before he tried to move.

When Atrix grabbed his left arm and pulled it over her shoulder, Souji didn't try to resist her help. Cautiously, Atrix guided the way out of the room and out into the hallway. The fighting must be dying down, as there was barely any other sounds, besides a shout here and there. Upon reaching the stairs, Souji tightened his arm around her neck and moved his lips closer to her ear. "Don't tell anyone about what happened. Or else you'll be the one coughing up blood," The male's voice was low, but his words still held a dangerous edge. With a soundless grunt, Souji pulled away and leaned slightly on the stairs' railing as he took the steps down. Atrix quickly went down, making it to the ground floor before he did.

Atrix spotted her friend when Kaita asked her if she was alright. "I'm fine," She answered as she casted a look over at Souji. Atrix did as the male had requested and said nothing of him coughing up blood. Instead, he turned her attention to Heisuke. "Is he okay?" Atrix asked, noting blood trailing from somewhere in his hairline. Looks like he got the blow they had felt earlier.

"What do you think?" Souji asked with annoyance. He didn't linger long to get an answer. The male walked away from the small group. Atrix couldn't help but watch with worry as he went.

"We need to get Heisuke back to the Headquarters." Shinpachi nodded to Kaita. They would both go to help assist the injured. This left Atrix standing alone for a few minutes.

Saito had paused by the entrance when he noticed Atrix inside. He beckoned her over. Having seen the gesture, Atrix walked over to him. He was relieved when he saw the woman was unharmed. "Is there anyone left inside?" He asked as he swept his eyes around the room.

"It doesn't sound like it," Atrix responded. In other words, she didn't know. With that, the two searched the room to ensure no one was going to be left behind. The two regrouped and made their way back to the Shinsengumi compound. They were the last two to leave Ikeda Inn.

At first, Saito and Atrix walked in silence, but Saito was the first of the two to speak. "Did something happen to Souji?" The purple-haired Samurai asked. Atrix nearly forgot to take a step when she was asked.

How should she answer? Lying wasn't something the female did well. "Huh?" Was the only thing she could say with ease. Saito noticed the little misstep and came to a halt in front of Atrix. His blue gaze peered into the female's teal. With the way blocked, she stopped where she was, her head inclined.

"Atrix," Saito spoke encouragingly, "you don't need to hide anything. If anything is wrong, you need to tell me... Or at least someone." The usually stoic male spoke gently. Souji was his friend, after all. He wanted to help if he could. Saito gently placed his hand on her shoulders, softly pressing for an answer. He was asking with awareness of Souji's constant string of coughing fits.

Atrix bit her lip as she chose to tell the Captain of the Third Unit standing before her. 'I'm sorry, Souji...,' She apologized silently before taking a steady breath. "Souji... Coughed up blood," She said in a hushed tone. She witnessed the male's eyes growing wide before returning to normal. "The pin we felt in our chest... Was from Souji," Atrix felt both relieved and guilty. Relieved for telling someone, but guilty for the same reason. Seeing the mixed expression, the purple-haired samurai pulled the female into a brief hug. A surprise to them both.

In the hug, Atrix could feel a calming warmth radiating off of the male's body. With the sudden closeness, a blush spread over her cheeks. "Saito?" She breathed as she looked up curiously. Realizing what he was doing, the man pulled away.

"I'm sorry," Saito murmured, his cheeks taking on their own flustered hue.

The rest of the remaining walk back to the compound was in silence. Atrix walked behind the male, raising a hand to her chest. She could still feel Saito's strong arms around her. The whole ordeal had sent her heart pounding.

'What does this mean?'

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaita’s POV:  
At Sannan’s request Kaita nodded and headed out with Yamazaki while she watched Atrix go towards Ikeda Inn. Yamazaki looked back to see if Kaita was keeping up, and she was. Slowly keeping pace with the ninja was no trouble for the female since she had a lot of stamina due to her martial arts training.

 

“It’s not much farther...” Yamazaki cut himself off and stood in front of Kaita. Drawing his sword, he fended off the group of ronin that appeared from the shadows. “I’ll hold them off. Just get the message to the others... Quickly!” Kaita dodged an attack and ran as Yamazaki instructed her to do.

 

“Damn it. If I had my katana, I could have helped him. But I have to let the others know before anything else happens.” With what stamina she had, Kaita dashed as fast as she could to Shikokuya. Those there looked at each other and proceeded to leave. 

 

Shinpachi stopped short and turned back to Kaita. “Take this. You can’t be going around unarmed. I don’t know your skill level but this can still protect you. Just make sure to stay alive.” Kaita took the short sword from Shinpachi and nodded in response. Having caught her breath, she joined the group in hopes of making it quickly to Ikeda Inn.

 

As the second group approached, they could hear the sounds of fighting. Everyone readied their swords, even Kaita. They joined in the bloody skirmish, the enemy dropping to the ground. Kaita fended off any attackers but a voice she heard drew her into the Inn. ‘Atrix?!’ Her chest started to hurt but she continued further until she made her way to the bottom of the stairs.

 

Heisuke was in front of her but she soon grabbed her head out of pain. When she looked up Kaita could see Heisuke falling to the ground with blood streaming from his forehead and a broken head guard next to his body. “HEISUKE!!!!!” When she looked back up to the top of the stairs, Kaita saw a red headed male disappear somewhere on the upper floor. 

 

Kaita ran to Heisuke’s side, ronin and members of the Chosu clan that tried to harm him further. Luckily, other members of the shinsengumi came to their aid and fended off the enemy. The conflict slowly ended and Kaita could no longer stand being inside of the bloodied Inn. 

 

She stepped outside to gather herself. Shinpachi spotted her and looked at her with a worried look. He could see that Kaita was breathing heavily and that made him even more concerned. “Are you okay there Kaita?” The female looked up at the taller male; her face did not hold that usual spunk that she had. “Yeah.... I’m fine....” Shinpachi looked over Kaita and saw that her hands were shaking. He let out a sigh and reached for her hands to hold onto them.

 

Kaita’s reflex made her try to pull away her hands from Shinpachi, but he had a firm grip on them. “It’s okay. Everything is over now. The others may be hurt but everything’s okay. You don’t have to fight anymore....” Shinpachi smiled at Kaita as she looked into his eyes. His words helped ease her thoughts as she began to breath normally again.

 

She looked down at Shinpachi’s bandaged wrist then back into his eyes. “Did you feel that pain earlier? My chest felt really tight and on fire in some way, also my head started to hurt badly. Heisuke got hurt at some point; he has a nasty injury to his head.” Shinpachi nodded in response, “No doubt that someone else of our little group is also hurt, but who is it?”

 

As they wondered who else was hurt from the skirmish, Heisuke was brought out from the bloodied Inn. After him, Kaita could see Atrix helping Souji make his way out. He looked weak and the color from his face was drained as well. When the other members of the Shinsengumi carried off Souji, Kaita approached Atrix. 

 

“Are you alright?” She did a double take at her friends clothing. It was covered in blood but none of it seemed to be coming from any wounds, which put her at ease even more. Unconsciously Kaita hugged her friend; something about the events that took place that night had really shaken her up. From afar, Shinpachi looked at the two females and sighed, ‘I hope Kaita’s alright. She did seem really out it...’ The male went over to the girl and asked her to help-out with tending to the injured. Kaita complied and helped perform the basics of first aid on the members that were not as severely injured.

“I think that’s the last of them to be treated. The rest would have to be treated back at the base for the more serious injuries.” Shinpachi packed up the supplies Kaita was using and motioned for her to follow him back to the Shinsengumi headquarters. Kaita barely spoke a work while tending to the injured, let alone spoke anything during the walk back to the compound. 

Shinpachi was being courteous and walked Kaita back to her quarters, the silence was killing him. Without thinking, he reached out a hand to pat Kaita’s head to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. However, the reaction that he got from her was not the one he was expecting. “Don’t touch me!” Kaita batted away Shinpachi’s hand with a harsh slap, which surprised the tall male. 

“Kaita….I’m sorry….I didn’t mean too…..” Instead of completing his sentence, Shinpachi instead wrapped the girl in an embrace. Kaita was trying to push away from him but she could not push away the stronger man. “No….I’m not going anywhere. You are shaking like a leaf; you have not been yourself since the skirmish ended. I will stay by your side until you have calmed down.”

Kaita didn’t know what to do, being in Shinpachi’s arms soothed her but at the same time a lingering feeling she had made her want to pull away. ‘No….please stop touching me….’ Kaita looked up at Shinpachi and noticed that she was crying. She clung to the male and told him that she was scared not only for herself but for the others. “It is okay Kaita, it is over. You should rest now. Sleep will help you.”

Shinpachi tried to usher the young girl into her room so she would go to sleep but Kaita would not move. “What’s wrong? You can’t sleep unless you have someone to tuck you in?” Shinpachi of course was only joking but when he looked into Kaita’s eyes; the answer shocked him since he was not expecting it. “Can you stay until I fall asleep Shinpachi?”

Shinpachi smiled a gentle smile at Kaita and nodded his response. “If it will help you feel at ease, I do not mind.” Nevertheless, this also made Shinpachi nervous since he never had stayed in a girl’s room before. Let alone he had some feeling that his nervousness was due to the room of a girl that had started to make his heart flutter, but why?


	7. Chapter 6: Hot Springs Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COMBINED POV

Everything settled down after the Ikedaya incident. Those who were injured were recovering well, though some healed slower than others did. Heisuke's wound to the head was nearly healed. Souji, however, started to cough a bit more frequent. It wasn't as bad as the night in the Inn, but Atrix was worried. Though, she did keep his secret. Minus having confessed the information to Saito.

Fall had transitioned smoothly into an early winter, the air becoming more than just chilly as the last leaves in the trees floated to the ground. Heavy looking clouds threatened to release snow. The guys didn't seem to pay too much mind to the drop in temperature. Atrix didn't feel too cold, as she was wearing a kimono top and a hakama. As for Kaita, well, hakama shorts and a short-sleeved kimono too wasn't going to cut it. Atrix wouldn't stop pestering her until the girl wore something that would provide a more solid warmth. Kaita settled with draping a long haori over her shoulders.

"How can you wear so little in this freezing weather?" Atrix questioned her friends despite wearing more than what Kaita was, she still felt cold go the bone. As to show it, she rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm herself up. Kaita pursed her lips in thought.

"It doesn't bother me," Kaita answered with a shrug. Atrix sent her a look.

"If you're that cold, I could warm you up~," A familiar voice sounded. The smirk could be heard, as well as seen by the owner of the said voice. Souji stepped right into the girls' conversation. The male had wrapped his arms around Atrix Atrix, giving a more clear understanding of his words. Atrix's eyes widened as she quickly pushed the male back to make space between them.

"No, thank you!" Atrix was quick to stammer. Kaita watched as the samurai hugged her friend. She didn't want to admit it, but she hadn't even seen the guy approach them.

Souji smirked playfully as he let himself be pushed away, his arms falling to his sides. Kaita studied the male's face. 'His face doesn't seem as pale.' "Should you really be walking in the cold like that?" She asked. Atrix was also expressing her own concern, more so than the other. The real-eyed girl had seen just how bad the male's condition had become.

"I'm fine," Souji answered as he kept a smile plastered on his face. There was an underlying tone that hid an annoyance. He didn't want his health to be questioned. The male was quick to turn the spotlight onto someone else.

"What about you? You're not dressed for this weather," Souji stated, his emerald eyes narrowed in a taunting manner.

"I'm not bothered by the cold," Kaita responded. To prove her point, the woman shook the haori off of her shoulders and revealed her bare arms. That little action had Atrix sending the girl a glare.

"Really?" Atrix crossed her arms.

"I'll be fine," Kaita responded with ease.

"Fine, my ass. Put some warmer clothes on!" Another voiced butted in. One of the blue Shinsengumi's cloaks was tossed over Kaita's head. A pair of strong arms pinned the fabric to her body. Shinpachi held the girl to his chest. Kaita tried to squirm, having been taken by surprise. Her struggling was rewarded with her head popping out.

"Just because you are able to handle the cold, does not mean you should. You could still get sick, Kaita," Shinpachi voiced his concern. He didn't wish to see that happen. "Get something else to wear," He added softly at the end.

Souji mused as he watched the scene unfold before him. An idea popped into his mind. "If we are all cold, how about a trip to the hot springs?" Of course, the male didn't suggest the idea out of innocence. He smirked when he saw Atrix's eyes gleam with interest. Shinpachi was quick to agree.

Two days later, the girls and a handful of the Shinsengumi members found themselves at one of the available hot springs in Kyoto. Due to their group size, a few rooms had to be rented out for the night. The women in one, and the guys in two others. The men weren't so in favor of the arrangements. Saito was the man who was fine with sharing a room with another. The other three were more inclined to want to share with one of the females. Men were men, after all.

The owner was sure to greet and welcome them. "Supper will be ready within a few hours. Please, take your time to settle in," The woman bowed graciously and went on to continue her task.

"Since we have time to spare, why don't you ladies go ahead and enjoy the baths?" Souji bent towards then, lowering his voice to a whisper. He watched as the two exchanged glances before they nodded to comply. There was one thing the green-eyed samurai didn't rely to the females. The springs were solely unisex. As Atrix and Kaita went to their rooms, Souji made no talk of letting the other men know if the girls going in first. He didn't find it necessary.

Atrix and Kaita took a change of white yukatas as they went to the locker room area of the hot springs. Both wrapped towels around their bodies as each stashed their clothes into a cubbyhole. Seeing how they were the only two in there, Atrix and Kaita were fine with the process. Soon enough, they went through the door and stood by the end of the water. Kaita was the first of the two to step into the heated water. A wondrous sigh left her lips. Taking that as a good sign, Atrix followed after her friend.

The water was blissfully warm against the chilly air. Luckily, the steam helped absorbed the chill, allowing it to not affect the women too much. "This feels nice," Kaita sighed, her shoulders relaxing. Atrix hummed in agreement. Leaning against one of the rocks, they began to discuss about various things. One topic in particular was an obvious on. Boys.

"Who do you like?" Kaita asked the other quite bluntly. The question took Atrix off guard, causing her to straighten her posture. 

“No one,” Came her response. Kaita’s expression showed she didn’t believe her. “It’s really no one!” Atrix pressed her lips into a thin line. Trying to switch the spotlight to her friend, she hurriedly said, “What about you? Shinpachi is practically smitten with you!” 

Kaita’s eyes widened. “And what’s going on with you and Souji” Avoiding each other’s questions. Who would be the first one to cave? “He picks and teases you more than he does with me,” The female added. Atrix was silent for a few minutes, trying to decide what would be safe to say and what wouldn’t.   
“I don’t know,” Atrix answered at last. ‘I can’t tell her,’ The girl frowned. It would be too risky if she opened her mouth about Souji’s illness. “Besides… Saito doesn’t push me into discomfort like Souji does.” Once again, she tried switching gears. “Shinpachi and you hang quite a lot, Kaita,” She chose to point out. Kaita’s cheeks tinted pink as she gently splashed the surface of the water. 

“He’s been very helpful,” Kaita spoke softly, her thoughts turning to remember how he stayed the night in order to calm her down. He hadn’t done anything to hurt her. Atrix watched her friend’s eyes become soft. She silently chuckled. 

As the women were busy with their bathing, the four guys sat at a table. Souji, who was lingering by the wall of the room, waited until the right moment to set his idea into motion. He kept his smirk to a minimum, not wanting to blow his cover. “Hey, since Atrix and Kaita are resting their room, why don’t we go ahead and take a soak in the hot springs?”

“That’s a great idea!” Heisuke exclaimed, already standing up. “I’ll go let Kaita and Atrix know!” Before the younger male could take more than three steps out the door, Shinpachi reached and grabbed the back collar of the kid. 

“Hey!” Heisuke barked, wiggling his body to try to twist his way out of Shinpachi’s grip. 

“Not so fast. If the girls are resting, then let them rest,” The male stated. Of course, all of that would be for not when Atrix and Kaita were actually already there. Heisuke mumbled to himself. 

Back at the springs, the two women continued to soak in the warm water. Neither of them felt the need to get out just yet. What they hadn’t planned on was hearing the sliding door open. The only other guests that were there were the men they came here with. Their eyes popped open. Atrix shrunk down to ensure her body was submerged in water. Kaita sat there, frozen at the sudden intrusion. Her face paled, as though thinking of something unpleasant that could happen. 

In walked in Shinpachi, Saito, Heisuke, and Souji. Souji smirked upon his eyes landing on the two shocked girls. “Oh, my bad, my bad. ~ I forgot they were actually here already!” The male was not apologetic at all. As her had spoken, he had already stepped into the spring. A smile never leaving his face. 

As for the other three? Well, a surprised blush poked at their cheeks. Saito had turned his gaze away, avoiding any form of eye contact. Heisuke didn’t try to hide his surprise, but he was also quick to react. The youngest male got in beside Souji. Shinpachi stared at Kaita for a minute before he jumped into the hot spring, creating mini-waves to spread around the surface. Saito was the last one to get in, though he probably wouldn’t have if Souji hadn’t nearly yanked him into the water. All four wore a white towel around their waists. 

“Did I forget to inform you both that this hot spring was unisex?” Souji grinned, one that resembled a mischievous cat. “Oh well~ Let’s just enjoy ourselves. ~” Souji was enjoying this. Kaita was glaring at him for his foul trick. He didn’t lie; he just hadn’t fully told them some need-to-know information. Atrix didn’t glare, but she displayed discomfort and uncertainty. He watched as she crossed her arms protectively over her chest. 

Atrix and Kaita remained still, having not moved at all. Shinpachi crouched to where his shoulders and up were sticking out. He slowly approached Kaita and offered her words of reassurance. “We won’t do anything to you,” His words were gentle, yet only spoken to Kaita. 

“I won’t promise anything~,” Souji said as he spoke to both of them, though his green eyes were on Atrix. 

“Souji,” Saito’s voice was sharp and held a warning. 

“I’m kidding, Saito~,” Souji responded with a chuckle. Was he though? It wasn’t always easy to tell with this samurai. Better yet, it wasn’t easy at all! Saito breathed out a sigh. Without being able to stop him, Souji reached out and in two directions and does something out of his own amusement yet again. He pulled the waist towels off of Saito and Shinpachi. At the moment, Shinpachi’s was harder to tell, for his whole body was nearly submerged; but as for Saito, his was a little more noticeable. 

Both Atrix and Kaita let out a surprised yelp. Saito instantly sat down, to hide his revealed lower half, his face res with embarrassment. Shinpachi didn’t seem all that concerned. Though, he did look at the one responsible. “Oi! Was that really necessary?!” He questioned. Souji laughed loudly. He didn’t give an answer. 

With the situation becoming increasingly awkward, Atrix decided it was time to get out. Keeping as low as she could to the ground, the female waded to the edge closest to the door. Climbing out of the water was the easy part; it was when she took a hasty step when something happened. With water from the hot spring splashed out, the rocks had become slippery. When Atrix tried to dart away, her balance was thrown off and her right leg flew out from beneath. A startled cry came from her as her body pitched backwards and back towards the water. 

Acting quickly, Saito spread his arms out and moved forward in time to catch her. The momentum of the girl’s fall caused the man to fall back onto his rear. His arms held Atrix tightly against him. Realizing that, he released her with slightly wide, blue eyes. 

“Are you okay?” Saito asked, his voice softer than usual. 

Atrix was dazed from what just happened, though she shook her mind out of it. Her cheeks were red. “I-I’m fine!” She stammered out before she left the spring once more. This time, she was careful when she got out of the water. She made it to the changing room without any more trouble. 

Kaita was shocked when she saw her friend slipped backwards into the hot springs. She was glad when Saito had caught the other girl, preventing any injury from happening. If she hadn’t been on the other end, then she would have tried doing the same thing. 

Souji was snickering. Oh, the teasing was something he enjoyed. Seeing this, Kaita sighed and continued to sit against one of the boulders. It was becoming awkward now that she was the only female surrounded by all of these men. Especially when Shinpachi had yet to rewrap the towel around his waist. The male didn’t seem to mind, though he may be waiting for the right chance to. Regardless, it was foggy water that saved Kaita from having to see Shinpachi’s manhood. 

Time moved forwards and Kaita found herself to have remained inside the hot spring for nearly half an hour. It was time to brave up and get out. Standing up, a wave of intense dizziness washed through her. Her field of vision blurred and then darkened. Kaita lost her strength to stand and collapsed into the warm water. 

Shinpachi, who had been beside Kaita, was able to catch her before her head went under. “Oi!” Shinpachi called. He found the girl to have fainted. She had sat in the hot water for too long. 

Shinpachi repositioned his hold to pick the girl up and out of the water. His towel was still missing, but he’ll just have to hope no one else was around to see it. Getting Kaita to a cooler place was ideal and far more important. Heisuke seemed to want to go with him, but chose to stay with the others. At least, for the time being. 

Souji watched before he stood up. His fun was over, for not. Saito waited for a few more minutes before he too got out. Heisuke was the last to leave. Shinpachi must have changed into one of the yukatas as his usual clothes were still piled up in the changing room. Unless, he had plans for going around naked. No commotion was a good sign. 

After what had happened, Shinpachi had carried Kaita to her room. He placed her gently against the wall. He pulled out one of the rolled up futons and spread it out. When that was settled, he picked her up once more and laid her down on the soft material. The girl showed no signs of waking up anytime soon. 

Not wanting to leave Kaita alone just yet, Shinpachi sat crossed-legged as his eyes explored the room. Now that he thought about it, where did Atrix go? She didn’t appear to be in the room. Maybe the bathroom? Well, she would surely reappear once when everyone was called for dinner. If she didn’t, then he’ll bring it up with the others. As for now, Shinpachi’s concern was for the girl before him. 

The owner came around to inform the guests that dinner was prepared inside the dining room. The dishes were already out and ready for consumption. Deciding now was an appropriated time to leave Kaita’s side; Shinpachi got up and went to join the rest of his companions. 

When he sat down, Shinpachi glanced around to see if Atrix was present. The other girl was nowhere to be seen. Look like Kaita was going to have to stay in that towel for a little girl. “Kaita is in her room sleeping, but has anyone seen Atrix?” He asked, taking the first bite of food. 

“She’s not in her room?” Saito raised his head. 

“If she is, the she’s hiding. I was with Kaita until just now. I didn’t hear any unusual sounds,” Shinpachi answered, downing a bowl of rice. Two empty spots were left, a space meant for both absent women. Two meals that would have to be given to them at some point. One just needed to wake up, and the other needed to either be found or come out of hiding. 

Wordlessly, Saito stood up, leaving the rest of his meal untouched. Muttering an excuse, Saito left the dining room and went on his way to find the hideaway girl. Souji, knowing what his friend was doing, decided to give a helping in. Shinpachi stayed to finish off his own meal. Heisuke did the same to talk to the other male. 

“Is Kaita okay?” Heisuke asked. Lately, he had noticed Shinpachi hanging around the girl often. It left the younger man feeling jealous. The girl interested him too. It wasn’t fair if Shinpachi hogged her all to himself! Or so, that was how he felt. 

“I believe she’ll be just fine,” The older man answered as he placed one of his large hands on top of Heisuke’s head, ruffling his hair as he did. 

“Then it shouldn’t be a problem for me to check on her,” Heisuke said as he finished off the last bite of his food. 

Having been in the process of drinking his tea, Shinpachi spat out the contents in his mouth. “That would be a bad idea!” He exclaimed, his eyes popping open. A glare from Heisuke gave the older man a push to continue on. “She isn’t… Exactly dressed for visitors,” He lowered his voice to not alarm the other guests or the staff. 

Heisuke’s eyes widened. “Wait… She’s naked?!” He wasn’t so discreet. It brought unneeded attention towards them. Shinpachi shot his hand out to cover Heisuke’s mouth. 

“Not exactly. She has a wet towel covering her, and the futon cover is over her as well! Now, be quiet! I don’t want people to think of me as some kind of pervert!” His words came out as a harsh whisper. 

Heisuke pushed his friend’s hand away. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” The young samurai mumbled. He wasn’t thrilled to know the other had such a huge jump on him. “Let’s find Atrix then. We don’t want Kaita getting a cold.” With both men done eating, they joined the hunt to find the missing girl. 

As for Atrix, she had tucked herself away inside one of the supply closets. While she shouldn’t be in there, she had let her embarrassment get the best of her. It was also the reason why she didn’t just come out of hiding as well. In the end, Atrix remained huddled in the closet, listening to the pounding of footsteps out in the hall. She was just going to have to wait until the coast was clear. As for the time being, she was just going to have to stay in the closet space. It wasn’t cramped, at the very least. 

Why was it so hard to find one person? Did she leave already? Souji took his time walking down the hallway. He stopped one of the workers and asked if she had seen the girl. Apparently not. Everyone of their group, minus one unconscious woman, was out looking for her. 

Just as he was passing a closed door, the man heard a barely audible sigh. Oh? Since when did a closet breathe? He decided to wait until the door opened on its own. He’ll wait until the little ‘mouse’ poked her head out. Smirking, Souji leaned his back against the wall right across from the closet door. How long would it take for Atrix to come peeking her head out?

Footsteps slowed down and everything became silent. Atrix waited for several more minutes before she decided to make her attempt at heading to her room. Slowly, she slide the door open. Expecting to find the hall empty, she was surprised when a semi-exposed chest was the first thing to greet her vision. Atrix took an involuntary step back. 

“So, this was where you were hiding~,” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. “Maybe I should start calling you ‘Mouse-chan’?” The man chuckled. 

“How did you know…?” Atrix didn’t need to finish her question for her other to know what it was she was asking. 

“I didn’t know closets learned how to breathe,” Souji answered, a leveled smirk purposely tugging at his lips. He had been there for a while. He glanced sideways when he heard familiar voices heading this way. He was sure calling out would be enough to capture their attention, but he wanted his fun to continue. And from the looks of it, Atrix had heard them too. 

Atrix still didn’t have the heart to face the others, especially Saito. Just as she was contemplating what to do, she was ushered back into the closet. During the moment of her confusion, Souji had drawn close to her. His hands out against the back wall, trapping her in between them. Atrix’s eyes widened. The door behind Souji had been firmly closed. 

Souji joyfully watched the woman squirm with discomfort. He leaned forwards and brought his lips close to Atrix’s ear. “Looks like I caught the mouse~,” He whispered. Atrix trembled upon feeling the man’s hot breath hit her ear. He raised his head enough to stare directly into Atrix’s teal eyes. Keeping his hands where they were, Souji leaned forward once more. Instead of doing what he had done before, the emerald-eyed samurai took things to the next level. 

Atrix was confused on what to do in this situation. It didn’t help that she was trapped between Souji and the wall. All she could do was wait and see what was to happen. Atrix’s breath caught in her throat when he had whispered into her ear, causing her to tremble from the sensation it brought with it. It was what came after that that took her off guard. 

One minute their eyes met, and the next she felt something warm and soft brush against her lips. As thought by shock, Atrix tried to pull away. With the wall behind her, she only got so far before her head hit the wall. It wasn’t enough to release the kiss either. The girl’s cheeks flared when her thoughts caught up to her racing mind. Souji was kissing her. Why? 

Trying to push him away, Atrix raised her hands and placed them on the man’s chest. When she pushed against him, Souji responded by pressing his lips more firmly to her’s. He even went as far as gliding his tongue smoothly over her lips, toying with the idea of entering her mouth. At this point, Atrix’s hands were clenching onto the fabric of his white yukata. 

It wasn’t until he knew the girl was nearly out of breath when he finally pulled away. Souji reached behind him to open the closet door. He would’ve gone further if he hadn’t heard a set of footsteps coming down the hall. If they had been the staff’s, then he would have been able to look the other way; however, those footsteps belonged to his dear friend’s, Saito Hajime. As though to make things even more amusing, Atrix took the moment to escape the closed space. He could barely contain his laughter. 

Despite being breathless, Atrix eyed the door and bolted right out into the hallway. When she saw Saito, her cheeks returned to being red. It was bother from the earlier embarrassment and the shame of what just happened. Atrix ran in the opposite direction. Saito was startled when the woman he had been searching for suddenly appeared in front of him. ‘But… Why was she flustered?’

His answer came when he watched Souji exit the same place Atrix had. Saito’s blue gaze turned into a questionable glare. 

Taking the hint, Souji shrugged. “I gave her a present~,” He said. 

“Don’t hurt her,” Saito spoke steadily. 

“Wasn’t it you who caught her while naked?” Souji questioned. He watched as the purple-haired man turned his gaze away. 

“I doubt that’s what got her so flustered,” Saito responded as he went to follow the girl. He could only assume what Souji had done. Knowing him, it can’t have been good. 

In another portion of the building, Shinpachi had told Heisuke that splitting up would prove to result in a proper search. As though to prove his words, he spotted Atrix heading right his way. “Oi, Atrix!” Shinpachi called out, beckoning for her. Once when she was close enough, he went right to the point. 

“Would you mind changing Kaita’s clothes?” Atrix had to blink a few times. Having left the hot springs before her friend, she was unaware of her current state. Realizing this, Shinpachi backtracked and filled her in on what had happened after she had left. Atrix quietly listened to him, while casting a glance over her shoulder every now and then. 

“Well… I’m glad she didn’t drown. As well as you not peeking at her,” Atrix said, she then started her walk back to the room she shared with Kaita. Shinpachi stayed outside the door, as though waiting until for the moment he could return to Kaita’s side. Not that she was going to let that happen. Even she could tell Kaita wasn’t going to wake up until tomorrow morning. 

With that in mind, Atrix went about in getting her friend into clothing that would provide coverage and warmth. It wasn’t entirely an easy task, but it was doable. Upon finishing, the female sat down on her rear. One thing that bothered her when she undressed the other was something that shouldn’t mater, yet it did. Kaita’s breasts were larger. No wonder her friend can get away with the outfit she chose. Meanwhile, men clothing suited herself more. 

“Kaita, do you even know how lucky you are?” Atrix sighed longingly. Getting up, she went to poke her head outside. Sure enough, Shinpachi was standing right there. “Um… Why don’t you go get her something to eat? For when she’s awake,” Atrix suggested. It seemed to work, for the man went off to do just that. 

Having skipped dinner herself, she could feel her own stomach churning with hunger. She could go get something, but she didn’t want to bump into Saito, Souji especially. Therefore, she will just have to hope Shinpachi brings her something as well. It’s a roll of a dice at this point. If he did, the he did. If not, then tough luck. Leaving the door opened, Atrix got her futon ready. 

Hearing a tap at the entrance to the room, Atrix glanced over, expecting to see Shinpachi to have returned with the tray of food. Instead, Saito was the one peering into the room. 

“Follow me,” The purple-haired man commanded. He wasn’t angry, but he didn’t seem happy either. Saito kept his emotions and thoughts off his face and voice. 

Atrix hesitated, but she did do as the man told her to. Seeing she was going to follow, Saito went ahead and led the way to the destination. A garden. Though, the leaves had since died due to the cold weather. It still held a unique beauty. The girl wondered what the reason could be for wanting to talk to her. 

“Don’t take things Souji says seriously,” Saito started. He makes threats, but he won’t harm without a solid reason…,” The male spoke quietly. “The same goes to his actions.” This was when he shifted uncomfortably. Speaking about this to a woman> Not too much of an easy feat for him. As a result, Saito shook his head and went on to say something else. 

“Atrix, don’t hesitate to come to me for help. If not me, then Hijikata. I…,” The samurai trailed off. He didn’t want to see her get hurt. Souji shouldn’t had done what he had, and he just wanted to say he was there if she needed help. Not the kind of person to say such a thing, Saito closed his eyes and sighed. 

“That is all I have to say,” Saito then headed back inside. Atrix watched his retreating form. It was when she couldn’t see him anymore when she did the same. After the day’s events, sleep would be a blessing. 

During the time Atrix was out, Shinpachi had returned. At first, he nearly returned with Kaita’s food, but recalled the other hadn’t eaten either. Going into the room, he placed the tray down close by. Now he was able to check on her. Placing his palm on her forehead, the man watched her. 

Kaita stirred upon the pressure on her head. It was warm. Her eyes fluttered opened. Being unconscious for so long, her mind and body felt unusually heavy. Really, she could just slip back to sleep. Shinpachi smiled when she witnessed Kaita wake. 

“Welcome back to the living!” The man joked. Being in such a groggy state, Kaita could only pull a smile. Kaita gathered the strength to sit up, though it wasn’t without Shinpachi’s help. “Hey, take it easy.” He placed a hand on her back to give her support. 

“What… Happened?” Kaita asked. She remembered up to the hot springs, but couldn’t recall anything else. Nothing happened, right?

“You fainted! Don’t force yourself to stay in there and get out of hot water at a reasonable time!” The male voiced, scolding her even. “Oh! But it was Atrix who changed you clothes! I swear!” Not wanting to bring alarm, Shinpachi flailed his arms. “But you should eat something and get some proper rest.” At that, he motioned to the food. 

It was then when Atrix returned to the room. “Well, why don’t BOTH of you eat the dinner you BOTH missed?” The male stood up. “Its about time we called it a night.” Shinpachi smiled at Kaita as he stood up. With his objective completed, the man left to go to his own room for the night. 

Kaita was still dazed over what happened, and Atrix was staying silent. Neither of them were the mood to talk. So, they ate the cold food and went to bed. 

The hot springs fun had come to an end.


	8. Chapter 7 - Underlying Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //I actually have wifi now. Yay! Chapters will probably still be once a month though. //

Atrix’s POV:

Time passed as winter came to an end. Spring brought along the familiar warmth with it. The leaves on the trees slowly grew, returning the bare branches back into a lushful green. With it just changing, any other wildlife had yet to awaken. 

It was at the Shinsengumi Headquarters where life was bustling to and fro. The captains being busy with their duties and patrols, the Commander and Vice Commander tucked away to attend to their own responsibilities, and the two women went about their own tasks. 

As of late, Atrix had been keeping her distance from not just the guys, but from Kaita as well. It was ever since that overnight stay at the hot springs that the female became more wary of the men. Especially Souji. Whenever he was spotted in her line of vision, the memory of his lips would flash through her mind. With her cheeks becoming red, the woman would be quickly going the opposite direction. 

Saito would often observe this. Now, he was nearly certain as to what the other had done to the girl. However, it was also something he couldn’t do anything about. He was just going to have to wait until things returned back to the way they were. Still, the samurai was worried. He couldn’t figure out the reason as to why he felt so concerned about her. It was something he couldn’t point to, much less speak of it. 

Souji wasn’t blind to the reason for Atrix’s behavior. Each time it would amuse him. Each time he wanted to tease her even more. He’ll have to wait until she relaxed her guard to go about with his next wave of teasing. Perhaps he could even begin the next time there was an opening. He will just have to wait and see. 

Atrix may be having fewer interactions with the others, but she was far from being out of the loop. She knew there was a health examination in another few days. So, when it came down to it, she was apprehensive. 

When the day came, Atrix waited in a separate room for her turn. Kaita had gone before her. It didn’t take too long before it became her turn. With the knowledge of the doctor being a male, the female couldn’t stop the anxious feeling in her stomach. Dealing with people wasn’t something she had ever been good at. She had her moments, but her bravado would always be for show. From how it appeared, Kaita came out unscathed and perfectly fine. 

Now, it was Atrix’s turn. Reluctantly, the female went into the examination room. A gentle looking bald man greeted her. He didn’t appear to be someone who does bad things to his patients. As she drew closer to him, the man raised a hand to stop her. With all the men he had to examine that day, he was just going to get down to business. He did it in the most discreet way possible. 

“Relax. You won’t have to take off your clothes,” The Doctor soothed with an easy smile. “I just want to take your pulse and a few other things.” He beckoned to see her hand. Without thinking, Atrix held out the hand with the mark on her wrist. Due to her anxious thoughts, she had forgotten about hiding the mark. It was already too late; the doctor already laid eyes on the faded red scar. It was for a moment, which the man paused to think. In the next, he just carried on with the examination. 

“You’re free to go,” The Doctor stated with a kind smile. The woman wasted no time in leaving the room. 

Not even half an hour later, Atrix froze outside an open door. It was the training hall filled with half naked men. Bared, muscled chests filled her vision. Among the sea of men, Saito was among them. Shaking her head, she got out of there before any of them could spot her. Much to her luck, someone already had. 

As Saito stood in line, his blue eyes landed on a figure standing in the doorway. ‘Atrix?’ Looking at the other men in front of him, he noted he still had sometime before it was his turn. Pulling his kimono sleeves back over his shoulders, he went to follow her. Why was he doing this? It wasn’t like him. 

Without even knowing Saito was trailing her, she went on to some place quiet. Finding herself in the inner courtyard, Atrix sat down under one of the few trees. It was then when she saw Saito. He hesitated, but sat down beside the girl. Rather than his usual Seiza position, he chose to sit on his rear, his back against the tree trunk. 

Atrix watched him. After so long, she felt calmer. She looked away and towards the scenery before her. Saito kept to himself. Atrix didn’t mind. The silence was welcomed, and it was comfortable. Saito was the complete opposite of Souji. A calm samurai versus a wild child. Souji still had his charms, of course. Saito’s presence was comforting. 

As the two sat there, a voice was heard. It was Souji’s they heard, and from the sound of it, he was talking to someone. Not meaning to, the female listened in on the conversation. 

“Souji, I would like for you to come with me. You have Tuberculosis. If you strain yourself any more, you’re going to end up quickening the process of its course… In other words, death,” It was the doctor who was spoke. 

Beside her, Saito’s eyes narrowed. Tuberculosis was fatal and currently incurable. Atrix’s heart pulled. She shared a look with the man beside her. He shook his head as his way to say to remain quiet for the time being. Saying anything now was give away their position. Having known Souji for a long time, Saito knew nothing good would come out of the other man knowing they knew. At least, not right away. 

“Heh. So, that’s how it is. I’m not going anywhere. If I am going to die, then I can at least continue to fight,” Souji responded. Nor did he planned on dying anytime soon. The whole thought of others thinking he’s weak angers him. No way was he going to bow down to some illness. The man’s hand clenched into a fist. 

Just as the doctor was about to say something to Souji, Atrix let out a surprised yelp. A heat of pain slid over the palms of her hands. Saito’s stiffened posture suggested he also felt the pain. Souji must had reacted, for the doctor could be heard asking if he was alright. He must had also heard the pained shout, for the man had stuck his head around the tree to spot them. 

Three people in pain at the same time? “What’s going on?” The doctor asked with some minor confusion. As Atrix shifted her body, he just caught a glimpse of the mark reducing in brightness. During the examination, there had been a handful of others with the same exact marking or had their wrist covered in some way on the same wrist the others held the mark on. 

“What is that scar on your wrist? NO, let me re-ask the question. Why do you all have that mark, and what does it do?” The bald man was not thrilled whatsoever. 

“Nothing for you to concern yourself about,” Souji was the one who answered. 

“It is very much a concern of mine!” The doctor snapped back. He had been charged with looking them over. It was to say that he was going to tell Hijikata about what happened. About those who had the red marking and of what he witness happen to Atrix, Saito, and Souji. It was alarming. 

“You three, come with me,” The man said. It wasn’t a request, but more of an order. Souji was about to argue, but Saito prevented him from it. 

This wasn’t good. Atrix looked worriedly at Saito and Souji. With reluctance, the trio followed after the older man. Going into one of the open rooms, he had them wait inside. As though to enforce his words, he firmly slid the door closed. The man was going to inform the Vice Commander. Kondo was likely to become aware of the matter as well. 

None of them sat down just yet. A tight feeling grew around Atrix’s heart. What was going to happen to them? Who was it that got hurt? As she was about to let herself be consumed by her own thoughts, a warm hand on her shoulder was quick to ease them away. Turning her head, her eyes met with Saito’s. A silent ‘Its going to be fine’ was being transmitted to her. While it wasn’t enough to settle her thoughts completely, it was enough to put a majority at ease. 

The doctor did not return anytime soon. A commotion had broken out without them knowing. It was then when Hijikata came in. He didn’t look happy. Something was irritating him. Was it because of them or was it because of some other matter?

“Would anyone care to explain to me what’s going on what exactly Doctor Matsumoto is telling me about a mark and shared pain?” Despite his irritated demeanor, the Vice Commander was keeping his voice at bay. At the time, he sounded more tired than angry. 

They couldn’t hide it anymore. Perhaps they shouldn’t. Before Saito or Souji had a chance to cover it up, Atrix spoke the truth. “I… Don’t know why, but we have the same mark… And with it, we feel each other’s physical pain. This happened after Kaita and I arrived in this world.”

“Atrix!” Souji spouted just as Saito stopped him. A glare from Hijikata also quieted him. His teeth gritted in an annoyed scowl. Saito nodded for Atrix to continue. 

“Besides Saito, Souji, and myself… Four others have it too,” Atrix told the black-haired man. 

“They would be?” Hijikata prompted. 

“Shinpachi, Kaita, Heisuke, and…,” Atrix paused, displaying hesitation. “And… Chikage Kazama,” The girl spoke the name quietly, but clearly. Just like she thought, the man did not take that lightly. 

“Why am I just learning about this now?!” Hijikata spewed. Atrix flinched when the man’s voice grew in volume. It was clear Hijikata really was angry. 

“Because-,” Atrix was cut off before she could finish her sentence. Souji was the one responsible. 

“What good would it have done when we didn’t know what it was to begin with?” Souji’s own voice reflected his annoyance. 

“We wanted to wait until we knew what we were dealing with before we told you,” Saito stepped in to aid his friend. Atrix nodded in agreement. That really was the plan. Things kept happening, so they never did get around in letting the man know. Now, they were basically paying for it. 

Hijikata wasn’t pleased by it. It brought up conflicted problems as well. The commotion outside grew when Heisuke called for Hijikata’s help. Being called away, the Vice Commander instructed them to remain in the room until he returned. The man didn’t return, however. Something far more serious had taken his attention. One of their own had attacked Kaita. It was later that night when they learned it was Sannan. IT was also when Atrix heard the man had taken some sort of elixir. 

The knowledge made her stomach crawl. It brought her mind back to when that creature attacked her. If Chikage hadn’t stepped in when he had, then she would had been a goner. Now that she thought about it, the Oni had mention something about a Rasetsu and the Water of Life. Did Sannan drink that himself?

With the freedom he had, Souji left the room. Saito and Atrix were the only two who remained. At this point, they were sitting side by side. Saito stayed quiet, while Atrix continued to think. What if she could fight? She would be able to defend herself in case no one was around to help her. Her teal eyes glanced over at the man next to her. Noticing the expression she bore, Saito tilted his head in question. Atrix hesitated before asking him the question. 

“Would it be possible… To teach me how to wield a sword?” She asked hopefully. 

Saito seemed to consider it. He stared into her eyes and found a resolve within them. While he didn’t wish to see a woman fight, he was aware that having her be able to at least defend herself could lessen the chance of her getting hurt. With a nod of his head, Saito said, “Alright. I will not go easy on you.” He was surprised to find a relieved smile on her face. 

“Thank you,” Atrix smiled softly. 

“It suits you, you know… A smile, I mean…,” Saito murmured. Realizing what he had said, the samurai turned away and stood up. He was doing his best to conceal the blush starting to gather on his cheeks. “We should call it a night. Hijikata won’t be talking to us anymore tonight. I’ll go and see what happened. You… Go to bed and get some rest.” Why was he talking so much? It was in order to calm himself down. The man left the room once when he was finished speaking, leaving Atrix alone in the room. 

Atrix watched the purple-haired man leave. His words sent her heart fluttering. Did he really like her smile? Shaking her head clear of that thought, she got up onto her feet and left the room. As she made her way to her room, she felt a sting coming from her knuckles. Hearing a disgruntled bundle of words, the female looked over just in time to see Shinpachi going off. He was upset and it was clear. It didn’t take a genius to realize the man had punched something due to his frustrations. 

“What happened?” Atrix wondered. Did it have something to do with Kaita? Curiosity pulled the female towards her friend’s room. Strangely enough, she could feel her chest tighten the closer she got to Kaita. It wasn’t enough to cause concern. Stopping at the door, Atrix took a small breath. 

“Kaita?” Did anything happen…?” Why aren’t you telling me anything?” That’s right. It’s been awhile since she and Kaita had sat down and told each other everything. Or… Have they? Little things for sure, but what about the most important features? When did they shift apart? Or had it always been that way? All of these questions left the female feeling a little empty. With there being no answer from the girl inside, Atrix sighed and left. Though, not far. Her room was right there. 

With the sun already gone, the room was dark. Giving her eyes a moment to adjust, the female pulled her futon out, getting it ready. It felt too quiet. It was like any other night, so why did it bother her now?

Laying down, Atrix did her best to ignore the gnawing feeling inside her chest. Faintly, she could hear Kaita crying. Something else she tried to ignore. Sleep didn’t come easily, but it did eventually came. A confusion of dreams was what awaited her. A dream full of lies and severed communications. A dream of the mind playing tricks on her. 

Even as the days went on, Kaita didn’t come out of her room much. Atrix was left to do the chores on her own. With her workload doubled, it was near impossible to find the chance to begin her training with Saito. When she did have free time, Saito would be away on patrol or taking care of an errand. After a few days of this, Kaita returned to doing her share. Though, they made no attempt to talk, at least not yet. 

It wasn’t until a week later when Atrix was able to have her first lesson. Before then, Saito would pull Atrix aside to try to confirm when they would both be free. That free day came, and it was time to make the most of it. Having been told of the location, the young woman headed straight to it, arriving long before the agreed time. So, now she just had to wait for her instructor. As she waited, she felt an excited thrill go through her body. 

“Oh-hoh~? Why are you grinning? You look creepy, Atrix~” That voice sent a jolt through her. Souji squatted behind her, a playful smirk resting on the man’s lips. He must had seen her waiting. 

“No reason,” Atrix answered with her soft tone, her eyes adverting away. An obvious lie. 

“Oh? Does it have anything to do with Saito?” Souji asked, his figure pressing closer to her. It brought embarrassing memories back. Taking her silence as a confirmation, the samurai leaned back. “Any reason for this meet up?” He asked curiously, his bangs moving sideways as he tilted his head. It certainly gave him an alluring look. 

“He’s going to teach me how to properly wield a sword…,” Atrix answered. 

“If you wanted to learn, you could had asked me~,” Souji pretended to pout. 

Atrix gave him a look, but another voice interfered before she had the chance to respond. “I would fear for her if you were to teach her.” Saito joined them, his voice lacking humor. 

“Ah, I suppose there would be a little cause of concern~.” Souji responded teasingly. Saito was by no means amused by the other’s words. 

“If Hijikata sees you aren’t in your room resting, he will scold you,” Saito sighed. Though, there may be another reason for wanting Souji to back away. 

“I am perfectly fine. It’s better than being confined in a room.” The male waved off. He wasn’t happy about bring told to rest when he was better off moving about. He could still fight. 

While the two men conversed, Atrix shuffled away. At least, she wasn’t in a position to get teased by Souji. Saito had indirectly saved her from that. As she waited until it was time to start her katana training, the pounding of approaching footsteps caught her attention. Turning her head towards the door, she was just in time to see Hijikata enter the room. The expression he wore was a mixture of tiredness and annoyance. His usual sternness was there as well. When his purple gaze landed on Souji, it only grew. 

“You don’t need to say anything, I already know,” Souji’s voice took on an unpleasant edge. 

“The get our scrawny ass to bed!” Hijikata barked before deciding something else. “Due to so many complications, I have yet to receive an explanation of the marks you guys share.” He said as he crossed his arms. His eyes narrowed. 

“It’s as Atrix had said before. They suddenly appeared and for a reason we are unaware of, it connects our physical pain. I… Am unsure of what else we can say,” Saito was the one to speak this time. It was all they knew about the mark for the time being; however, the stubble look the Vice Commander gave suggested he wasn’t satisfied with the answer. What stopped the man from going off with questions was knowing Saito wasn’t one to lie. 

“And Chikage happened to become a part of this?” The man asked as he kept his arms crossed. With a nod of confirmation from Saito, Hijikata sighed. This wasn’t a good situation, to have such a connection with an enemy. “Report to me when something happens,” He instructed, “And Souji, get back to your room and rest!” Not getting the chance to object, Souji was forced out of the training hall. 

Now that Atrix and Saito were finally alone, Saito walked over to where the wooden swords were resting. Picking one up, he held it out to the female. Once when Atrix had taken it, he picked up one for himself. Beckoning her, he guided her out towards the middle of the room. 

“What do you already know about holding a katana?” Saito asked as he placed his wooden blade on his right hip. 

Rather than giving a verbal answer, Atrix responded by moving into posture. She bent her knees like how Kaita had once taught her. Raising her wooden sword completed the stance. 

Saito watched until Atrix was done moving. “Not bad, but that only works for defensive moves,” He told her. As thought to demonstrate, the purple-haired samurai suddenly lunged at her, his mock weapon poised to strike. Seeing this, Atrix’s muscles tensed just as the weapons collided. With the strength Saito displayed, Atrix had taken a couple steps back. Her arms trembled from the pressure. 

Keeping his electric blue eyes on the female, he instructed her to push back against him. Doing as she was told, Atrix tried her best to get Saito to move back a step. Just as she thought she was about to make progress, the man suddenly deflected her to release her grip and lose her balance. Expecting herself to crash onto the ground, she was surprised when it was something soft that met her fall. 

Opening her teal eyes wide, Atrix looked up to see Saito close to her. More accurately, he was the one who had caught her. An arm had been wrapped around her. It was only for a brief second that their eyes met before Saito glanced away, his cheeks a light pink. 

“I’m sorry!” Atrix exclaimed; however, when she tried to move away, Saito kept his hold on her. Realizing he was still holding onto her, the male let go slowly. 

“Let’s continue,” Saito stated. For the next hour, the two worked on different forms. Saito was patient as he taught her new ways to defend and counterattack. He picked up on the exhaustion weighing her down. Despite that, he made her push through it. In a real battle, the enemy wouldn’t stop just because they were tired; they would strike the finishing blow. 

It was when Atrix couldn’t lift the wooden sword anymore when Saito decided it was the end of the lesson. “We can stop for the day,” Saito said as he released his stance. Atrix nodded and did the same. Turning his back to her, Saito went ahead to go return his practice sword back to where it originally rested. Atrix provided some distance before she followed after him to do the same. 

Watching his back, she waited until Saito was unarmed before she suddenly lunged at him. A heavy step forward alert the samurai in time to catch the wooden blade with his hand. Without pausing, he yanked it forward. Not prepared for it, Atrix was yanked along with it. Thanks to the momentum and her weight, Saito lost his balance upon the direct collision. It resulted in him falling backwards onto his rear, with Atrix landing right on top of him. The samurai froze and looked down at the female. His thoughts went back to when the near same thing happened at the hot springs. 

It was just like when she had fallen backwards against him. The difference now being they wore clothes, and she was facing towards him. Atrix’s cheeks became red, and her eyes were wide. Why couldn’t she move away?

Saito was also stunned. His instincts had served him well, but his unfamiliar was of how to deal with a woman did not. Yet, he couldn’t really say he disliked it. What’s more is the unbecoming urge to touch her cheek. A movement he held off on doing. Instead, he served his attention to something else. 

“Are you okay?” Saito asked softly. 

Atrix took a minute before nodding her head. ‘Just embarrassed,’ She thought to herself. Slowly, Saito helped the girl up. The lesson was done. Perhaps she could be the one to cook that night’s dinner? Better get to the kitchen before someone else does. 

Parting and going a different direction from each other, Atrix scurried to the kitchen. It relieved her when no one had yet to prepare anything. Maybe she could even get Kaita to come out and eat with the rest of them. At the thought of her friend, a frown pulled down at her lips. Kaita still hadn’t spoken to her. Nor had anyone else. Even she was aware of Shinpachi trying hard to get the girl to open up to him. The man hadn’t given up on trying. So, Atrix decided on making Kaita’s favorite food. Maybe then, she could get her to open up. 

Unknown to her, Shinpachi was once again confronting Kaita. This time, being more aggressive with his approach. When she was out of her room, the man cornered her. Whether it was outside around the courtyard, or stuck close to a wall, he did not care. 

“Stop running away from me, Kaita!” Shinpachi spoke with concern, his hands on the girl’s shoulders. Yes, he knew this was the last thing Kaita wanted, but she needed to face whatever it was that frightened her. He will help her achieve that, even if it meant he has to become the bad guy. Even if it came down to her hating him. This had to stop. 

“It makes you more than a coward! Look, I know what happened to Sannan scared you, but I know it’s not the only reason for why you’re pushing everyone away,” Shinpachi paused. Yes, he had also yelled at her and hurt her. Him doing so again was his attempt at making her open her eyes. “Kaita, tell me what’s wrong!” What he was saying was hurting her. It reflected in her eyes. Yet, the girl didn’t say anything against it. 

“You shouldn’t just keep everything bottled up inside, you’ll drive yourself to ruin. You can rely on me… If not, then… You don’t need to be with the Shinsengumi anymore. We don’t need someone who is just going to mope around and keep secrets from her friends. I’m… Disappointed in you, Kaita. And I’m sure Atrix feels the same way.” Truth be told, those words pained him; however, there was an aching which grew worse with each passing second. The expression Kaita showed made him to believe the pain was coming from her. 

It wasn’t a physical pain. It was emotional, and it made him feel guilty for what he said. It wasn’t just Shinpachi who felt the heartbreak, but so did everyone else. Atrix stopped cooking, Souji let out a disgruntled growl, Saito stopped what he was doing and frowned, Heisuke was left confused, and Chikage didn’t know what to make of the unfamiliar ache in his chest. Each were effected. 

Even though he hurt her, he was hoping it was a shove that would force that wall of her’s to fall. 

\-------------------------------------

Kaita’s POV:

The time at the hot springs had come and gone and the season had changed along with it. Now it being spring came the one day that everyone at the Shinsengumi headquarters were talking about. Especially the captains of the different squads, seeing as how they liked to compare each other’s muscles.

Seeing as how Atrix and Kaita were the only females, an arrangement was made for the two to have a more private physical examination with the doctor. Specifically, no questions were to be asked as to why they were the only females at the compound. Kaita was the first of the two to be examined, even though she was hesitant since the doctor was male she put up with him just giving her an overview of her health. 

The doctor saw that Kaita had a bandage covering her wrist but did not dare to ask seeing as how she was feeling uncomfortable with him. “You’re in perfect health. Just don’t exhaust yourself too much. I hear that you and your friend are doing most of the cleaning chores.” Kaita nodded her head. With the examination done, she quickly changed back into her clothes and left the room.

Most of the Shinsengumi members had gathered in the large dining area for their examination. Just passing by Kaita peaked through to see a handful of the men mainly clothed from the waist down. She was in awe of all the muscular men, but her eyes drew her in towards Shinpachi and Harada. They were comparing their muscles, this made Kaita giggle at the fun that the two were having. 

Shinpachi having heard giggling he looked over towards the slightly open doorway to see Kaita. Once she knew she was spotted she let out a slight gasp of surprise and scampered off somewhere else within the compound. “Hmm.... I don’t think I saw Sannan-san there. I wonder if he is feeling any better. I’ll go make him something to eat and bring it to him.”

With that, Kaita headed to the kitchen and made some onigiri for the Shinsengumi vice-captain. Back in the large dining hall, Harada looked over to where Shinpachi was looking. “It seems that the young Miss must have been entertained with all my muscles... or maybe it was you she seemed to be gawking over.” Harada let out a laugh seeing as how Shinpachi’s face had turned a slight tinge of red. 

“It’s not like that Sanosuke... Kaita must just be shocked by all the ugly men in here. Especially you, she must have run off when she saw your ugly mug.” Harada acted as if he had been shot with something and laughed again. “No I don’t think so my friend. I’ve seen the way that she looks at you and you at her. The both of you seem to get along quite well, and you seem to be head over heels for her as I can see. But Shinpachi you have to remember that you’re a part of the Shinsengumi... our lives are complicated.”

Shinpachi couldn’t say much, he knew that as a member of the Shinsengumi to have someone he cared for could just cause trouble for them. He let out a sigh, the doctor examined him and the others and left promptly afterwards. Shinpachi was just lost in his thoughts when he overheard some of the other members speaking about how Kaita was in the kitchen preparing onigiri. “I asked if she needed any help and she said she was done. But she did ask where Sannan’s room was to give him the rice balls. She should be heading over there now.”

Kaita had just called out to Sannan as she stood at his door. “Sannan-san, I brought you something light to eat. Are you there?” Kaita had heard a slight grunt and opened the door to the room, and stepped inside. She could see the silhouette of the man and the gleam from his glasses. Somehow his breathing was a bit off; in his hand, he had an empty vial. A tortured look was on Sannan’s face and he dropped the vial to the floor, shattering it to pieces. The man looked at Kaita with a different look in his eyes, whispering that he wanted blood. Slowly making his way to corner Kaita in his room Sannan loomed over the young girl.

With eyes wide Shinpachi ran towards Sannan’s room, hoping that Kaita hadn’t made it there yet. “Damn it... I’ve told her to leave Sannan-san alone. Why can’t she just listen?!” He had just rounded the corner of the hallway that led to Sannan’s room when he heard the scream.

Kaita had dropped the plate of onigiri when Sannan had lashed out at her. Her pulse quickened as she watched the man draw closer to her. Kaita put her hands up to defend herself but she was met with a sharp pain. She had fallen backwards and the palms of her hands had caught shards of the broken vile. She could see that his eye color had changed and his hair was slowly changing to white. Kaita had let out a scream when Sannan lunged towards her, the blood enticing him even more.

Just as Sannan drew closer, Shinpachi stormed into the room and knocked the changing man over and away from Kaita. “Sannan-san pull yourself together!” Shinpachi yelled at the man who was hunched over feeling around his desk for something. He found another vile with a clearer red liquid in it and quickly drank it, this helped calm him and stop what he was doing. Sannan looked up only to be met with a stern look from Shinpachi and a scared one from Kaita. “I’m... sorry... I just.... I couldn’t stand to be....”

Shinpachi let out a sigh of anger and turned his attention to Kaita. He could see that she was terrified enough but he couldn’t restrain his anger about the situation. “I thought we all told you to leave Sannan alone. Do you not listen well? With how he is, Sannan-san could have killed you! Idiot! Do you not value your life?” Shinpachi was yelling at Kaita to no end, it wasn’t until he felt Sannan’s weak hand on his shoulder that got him to realize what he was doing.

With one look at Kaita’s face Shinpachi knew he had gone overboard. “Kaita.... I’m sorry... I....” Before he could finish Kaita bolted from the room clutching her hands. “Kaita, wait!!!” Shinpachi called after her but Kaita didn’t dare to look back, she ran towards her room. Fear had gripped her, hearing Shinpachi yell at her scared her and she couldn’t bare the hurt she was feeling from him scolding her. 

Shinpachi could see tears forming in Kaita’s eyes when he looked at her. “DAMN IT!” He punched a nearby post, which made his hand throb. He knew the others with the mark could feel the pain, not only that Shinpachi had failed to notice that his own hands were hurting as if something had cut them.

As Kaita continued to weave her way to her room, she collided head on with Souji. She regained her balance and tried to escape his presence. “What’s got you all wound up? You look like you’re running away from something. Almost reminds me when Atrix ran away and hid in that closet only to be kissed afterwards...Oi...your hands...” Kaita moved away from Souji’s grasp and continued on towards her room, choosing to ignore him. 

Once there she quickly ducked into the room and wrapped her hands in a bandage. She wiped away whatever tears remained. Kaita then wrapped herself in a blanket and just sat in the corner of her room. ‘What just happened? Why did he have to yell at me...? I didn’t mean any harm... what exactly was going on with Sannan? What did Souji mean about Atrix being kissed... did he kiss her? Just why is there so many secrets?’ 

Kaita’s head was being filled with question after question. Her thoughts ceased when she heard footsteps approaching. They stopped by her door but she dared not move or make a sound to let whoever it was to know that she was there. “Kaita... if you’re in there please just listen to me...” It was Shinpachi; he didn’t know where else that the young girl could go to hide but her room. He let out a sigh as he chose his words carefully. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. It was just the heat of the moment seeing Sannan-san attack you that it just angered me. Please just promise me that you won’t go near him again. Please.”

Silence was all that answered Shinpachi. Seeing as how he got no response, he just left and went to go out with his squad for patrol. Kaita stayed where she was, not moving just trying to hide from anyone. That night she cried herself to sleep; Atrix heard the crying and hesitated to see what was wrong.

“Kaita... are you okay? Were you the one to hurt your hands earlier today?” The female opened the door slightly to Kaita’s room slowly only to see her friend huddled in the corner sleeping away with tears running down her cheeks. “Just what happened to you?” Atrix dared not to enter her friend’s room. She did not really know how to comfort Kaita without really knowing what had happened. Overall, she never really knew how to handle someone who was crying. Atrix usually stayed clear of that kind of emotional drama.

Days after the incident with Sannan and Shinpachi yelling at her, Kaita ignored every moment that the tall male tried to grab her attention. She couldn’t bear to even talk with him, she felt hurt especially when she thought that the life of being yelled at by someone was left behind. Instead, it just followed her; Kaita distanced herself from not only Shinpachi but really almost everyone. She wouldn’t look anyone in the eye when they greeted her as she passed, she quietly made meals every now and then, and she started to just sit by herself in the inner garden that had a small pound.

Atrix noticed that her friend’s demeanor had changed completely. She thought Kaita was opening up to Shinpachi and the others but whatever had happened the other day seemed to reset everything back to square one. “Kaita... why won’t you talk to me... just what are you holding back?” Atrix said to herself as she watched as her friend just stared blankly at the pound. Kaita didn’t have it in her tell Atrix what she had been through even before they went back in time. Her past had hurt her and scared her, enough so that Kaita felt that she couldn’t rely on any man. Whatever trust or feeling of hope that Shinpachi was different from the rest had shattered and started to fade within Kaita’s heart.

Kaita didn’t speak a word of what occurred but Hijikata had questioned her about the events of that day that Sannan transformed right before her eyes. She didn’t speak much and didn’t really look at Hijikata as she responded. Kaita was scared and every moment that passed with the vice-commander questioning her it became unbearable. Even Sannan was present for her questioning; it was his interruption that let Kaita escape any more pressure from the “Demon” Vice-commander. 

“That’s enough Hijikata. Can’t you see she’s been through enough and traumatized by the events? Leave her be for now, she needs rest.” Sannan had nodded in Kaita’s direction and let her know it was safe to leave the room and to return to her chores. The young quickly made her escape from the room and left to go sit in the garden near her room. She let out a sigh as she just stared at the water in the nearby pond. “Just what is going on here? Why am I getting yelled at again for doing something that was just an act of kindness?” Kaita was lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the two pairs of footsteps that were heading her way.

Heisuke and Shinpachi had just returned from patrol and wanted to see how Kaita was doing. Shinpachi didn’t fill Heisuke in on the events that transpired a couple of days ago but could see that Kaita was still avoiding him. Before they spotted Kaita, Heisuke was sidetracked by another member of the Shinsengumi. “You go on ahead Shinpachi. I’ll catch up with Kaita later.” Shinpachi watched as his smaller companion walked away from their initial destination. He let out a sigh before mustering the courage to talk to Kaita. 

As he rounded the corner towards the young female’s room he stiffened when he saw the girl in question sitting on the veranda staring blankly into the garden. “Umm… Kaita…” Shinpachi approached hesitantly, he knew that Kaita had been trying to avoid him since he yelled at her. He even had tried on multiple times to apologize but she always manage to escape from him before he had the chance. “Can we talk please…?” Kaita had jumped when she heard Shinpachi’s voice. Every bone in her body wanted to turn tail and run away from the man but somehow her heart was trying to convince her otherwise. 

Kaita had started to get and leave, she didn’t want to stick around to listen to Shinpachi. She had somehow grown to get scared easily ever since he yelled at her. Shinpachi’s hands had balled into fists out of frustration that Kaita wouldn’t seem to give him the time of day. As she moved to leave his hand, shot out and grab her wrist, this in turn made Kaita squeak out in surprise. “Let go!” She tried to pull away but of course, the tall male was much stronger than her. “Not until you listen to what I have to say. Please Kaita, just listen.” Instead of compliance, Shinpachi was met by a hard smack to the face. Kaita had been on edge enough since he grabbed her shoulder to keep her from leaving. Shinpachi of course was surprised that the young female slapped him but he did not let her go.

“I understand that you’re scared but please just stop and listen to me.” Kaita looked away from Shinpachi’s hurt look and let out a sigh. “Stop running away from me Kaita!” Shinpachi spoke with concern, his hands on the girl’s shoulder. Yes, he knew this was the last thing Kaita wanted, but she needed to face whatever it was that frightened her. He will help her achieve that, even if it meant he had to become the bad guy in her eyes. Even if it came down to her hating him, it just had to stop.

“It makes you more of a coward! Look, I know what happened in Sannan’s room scared you, but also know that that is not the reason for why you have been pushing everyone away. Kaita, please just tell me what’s wrong!” Shinpachi could tell that what he said had hurt the young girl for he could see it reflected in her eyes. Yet, Kaita still stayed silent and didn’t look at Shinpachi.

“You shouldn’t just keep everything bottled up inside, you’ll just drive yourself to ruin by doing that. You can rely on me, you know that...but if you...can’t then...there is no place for you here with the Shinsengumi anymore. We don’t have room for someone who is going to be moping around and hiding things from everyone, especially her friends. I’m… very disappointed in you Kaita. Pretty sure that Atrix is feeling the same way as well.” With all that was said even Shinpachi felt hurt just saying those words to Kaita; however there was some sort of aching feeling that grew with each passing moment. The expression that Kaita wore on her face showed Shinpachi that the pain was surely coming from her.

It wasn’t the physical type of pain but more of an emotional pain that made him feel unhappy. It wasn’t just Shinpachi who was feeling the heartbreak; everyone else bound by the mark could feel it too. Atrix stopped cooking, Souji had let out a disgruntled growl, Heisuke was left confused, Saito stared off into the distance with a slight frown, and Chikage didn’t know what to make of it. They were all affected. 

Even though Shinpachi’s words hurt her, he was hoping it would shove Kaita in the direction that would force her wall to fall. She tried to relax her tense body and upon doing so, Shinpachi smiled and released her shoulder. Besides having said what he did, Shinpachi knew he owed Kaita an apology as well. “First I want to apologize for yelling at you the other day in Sannan’s room. I know we have told you on various occasions that you should leave him be. But getting to know you more little by little, I can see that’s hard with your kind and caring nature. I was honestly surprised when I heard you were heading to Sannan’s room but I also knew that he had been out of sorts as of late so I didn’t want you getting hurt.” He let out a sigh as all the words that he had wanted to say to Kaita had finally been heard. “So please accept my apology for scaring you and yelling at you like I did. I was just concerned about you.” Shinpachi bowed his head to Kaita not looking up until he heard her voice.

Kaita had slowly regained herself and started to feel bad just having Shinpachi bow to apologize to her, then again he did scare her enough to send her slightly into shock and bringing back memories of her past. She turned away slightly and looked at Shinpachi from the corner of her eye, “its fine….I should have been more careful….I’m sorry too….” She said softly as she sighed. Shinpachi looked up at Kaita and shook his head. “There is nothing for you to apologize over. If you ever want to visit Sannan again just let one of us know so we can accompany you.” Kaita agreed to this deal with Shinpachi, and somehow she felt lighter after talking things out with the tall male. 

But one thing still weighed on her mind, it was what Shinpachi said. Is there really no place for her at the Shinsengumi? Would she have to leave? Her heart continued to ache even though she tried to put on a more happy face so that Shinpachi wouldn’t notice. It was at this point that when she looked into his eyes that she knew that Shinpachi already could feel what she felt.


	9. Chapter 8 - Emotional Turmoil

Atrix had to put the knife she was holding down. Who was the cause of this? Why was her chest hearting so much? Was it Kaita? It made her sense her assumption was right. It wasn’t an ache that faded instantly like when one of them was injured. Someone was emotionally hurt. It was a nagging feeling that her friend was the cause. The question would be ‘Why?’. 

At this rate, the female wouldn’t be able to get dinner ready. Letting out a heavy sigh, Atrix moved over to a bare space. With her back to the wall, she slid down to the floor, her knees against her chest. She was going to just have to wait until it dulled or went away. The pain did not ebb for another half an hour. By then, the sun had nearly set, making the kitchen seem as though it was swallowed up in shadows. 

Her ears perked upon hearing the door to the kitchen slide open. Atrix lifted her head to see who it was. With the room being dark, it was hard to tell. 

“Eh? Atrix? Are you okay?” The friendly voice asked as a familiar face came into view. It was Harada. “I was wondering if there was someone in here,” He continued to speak. 

“I’m sorry. I was starting to make dinner, but… I suddenly got overheated and had to sit down for a bit,” Atrix apologized, telling a little white lie. Saying she overheated seemed possible, to say the least. 

“I guess I didn’t want to bother anyone,” The girl answered. No one would have been able to help with a chest pain that didn’t belong to her to begin with. 

“Keep this in mind next time then. You won’t be a bother,” The man said as he held out one of his hands out to her. Taking the offered hand, he helped her up. “You go to your room. I’ll take over this time,” Harada told her as he gentle nudged her towards the exit. Harada left her no room to argue. Perhaps, it was for the best. 

Atrix left the kitchen and glanced around before heading to her room. Along the way, she paused by Kaita’s room. It wasn’t likely she was in there. What exactly was going on with her? It was time to confront Kaita about this, as well as her behavior. Even with the resolve, it was going to have to wait until first thing in the morning. She’ll go to bed now, to ensure she’ll wake up at an early hour. Going without dinner didn’t bother her. The dull ache she still felt, prevented her from having an appetite. Atrix got her futon out and crawled straight under the covers. Sleep didn’t come easy. The more she thought about confronting the girl next door, the more of a dread she could feel. 

Before the sun rose into the sky, Atrix got out of bed. Not bothering to put the bedding away, she went straight to Kaita’s room. She didn’t knock; she went right into the other’s room without so much as a warning. “Kaita, let’s go for a walk.” Not allowing any room for objection, Atrix managed to get Kaita to comply. 

Not wanting anyone to overhear or interfere with their conversation, Atrix took her friend past Kyoto’s borders. Even away from a forest pathway. Knowing the forest could be dangerous, they both had their Katanas with them. Hopefully, they won’t get lost on their way back. 

When she felt they were far enough out of anyone’s way, Atrix came to a halt. Turning to face Kaita, Atrix looked her right in the eyes and asked her directly. “What’s going on, Kaita? What’s wrong?”

Atrix watched as Kaita adverted her gaze, the ache returning along with it. ‘So, it was her, after all.’

“Don’t worry about it. It… Has nothing to do with you,” Kaita responded with. 

Kaita’s words irked her. “Nothing to do with me? Bullshit! Kaita, I can feel your heart hurting, and so can everyone else!” She watched the other female stiffen. “Can’t you even tell me why? Can’t I even help you?” Atrix pressed on. 

“It’s… Not something I want to talk about. Especially with you,” Came Kaita’s response. She still wouldn’t look at her, and that was hurtful in itself. 

“Do you like hurting others?” Atrix asked coldly. A part of her wasn’t surprised when no answer came. “Do you even realize how lucky you are to have so many people – So many friends who want to help you? How many guys show such interest in you? How beautiful you are?” That hideous feeling she had been hiding, the jealousy, was baring its ugly head. And it didn’t want to stop. “Even now, you can get away with those clothes. I can only get away with men’s clothing!” Those words were more than stupid, and in her mind’s eye, she knew it. Yet, her own pained heart was pouring out. 

Kaita’s eyes reflected her sorrow. “Atrix, Stop. I didn’t want to be born this way. Nor do you know everything…,” Kaita’s voice was strained. It was clear she didn’t want to be having this conversation. It only fueled the fire that ignited in Atrix’s heart. 

While Atrix was talking, Kaita felt even worse than she already had. Why couldn’t she understand there was something something she didn’t wish for her to know? What if Atrix’s opinion of her changed to one of disgust? How would she even tell her friend she was raped years ago? How she couldn’t let any man lay a hand on her, unless she wanted to recall that horrid night. Kaita didn’t want to risk losing her friend, yet to her, it was already happening. 

“Please, just leave -,” Kaita didn’t have time to finish her words. Her eyes widened as she nearly had time to block the blade from striking her. Atrix had attacked her. But… Why?

Atrix was frustrated and upset. Something in her mind caused her to draw her sword and aim it at the other girl. “Don’t say that! How do you expect others to understand when you don’t do anything, or say anything, about it?!” Another strike and another block. “Who keeps such secrets from their friends? Does our so called ‘friendship’ mean nothing to you?!” 

“Shut up!!” Kaita screamed. “A friend wouldn’t push others into telling something they don’t wish to talk about!” She pushed back with her own katana. She didn’t want to hurt the other, but it hurt her Atrix can’t even trust her. “If you’re my friend, then give me time!”

“I already gave you time! All that you’ve been doing was wallowing in your own self-pity!” Atrix retorted. 

Just as she was about to lunged once more, a loud crack exploded, and something went hurdling between them at a high speed. A bullet?

Taken by surprised, Atrix took an alarming step back. Suddenly, the ground by her feet gave way, and the sensation of falling consumed her. Due to the heart dropping shock, no sound came out of her gaping mouth. Her teal eyes had nothing but terror in them. 

During their scuffle, the two women had moved close to the edge of an over hanged cliff. The step on the eroded earth was enough to cripple and break, sending Atrix down with it. Kaita was frozen with her own shock, as all she could do was watch Atrix fall into the haze below. Falling to her knees, all of her thoughts went away. “Atrix?” Kaita weakly called out. She tried to peer into the fog, but it was to no prevail. Kaita let out a wailing scream. Tears started to stream down her cheeks. 

The Shinsengumi members grew concerned when they came to the realization of the two females being missing. Hijikata, along with the other unit captains, went on a search for them. It didn’t take long until they found someone who was able to give them a lead on which way the girls had gone.

“Why would they risk going into the forest?” Hijikata questioned out loud, a scowl displayed on his face. Ronin could be hiding all throughout. He was aware of Atrix receiving lessons from Saito, but there wasn’t much experience to grant herself full protection from every blow. The troubled look Saito showed only proved his thought. As for Kaita, all the Vice Commander was aware of was the depressed state she had been in as of late. From what he had gathered, she was supposedly able to hold her own very well. 

As Hijikata led the way into the forest pathway, Saito felt an unbearable pain explode from his side. It knocked the breath out of him. AN audible groan escaped his lips. Heisuke had doubled over in pain. The surprised grunt from Shinpachi, and the collapsing if Souji was enough for what happened to click in the leader’s mind. One of them was injured; and if he had to choose who, then it had to be one of the girls. But which one? The first order of business was to find them. 

“Harada, take Souji back to Headquarters and have Yamazaki get ahold of Doctor Matsumoto,” Hijikata barked out. The man’s violet eyes landed on the other three males. “Can you continue on” He asked, his voice unintentionally sharp. All three nodded. 

As Harada left the group with Souji, Hijikata ushered the remaining men forward. If either of the women were severely injured, then one or the other was going to need serious medical attention. 

A cry alerted the group to the location of one of the girls. “Kaita!” Shinpachi darted ahead of the other as he immediately crouched down in front of her. Hijikata, Heisuke, and Saito caught up to him. 

“Where’s Atrix?” Saito asked, doing his best to keep his calm. 

Fresh tears poured down Kaita’s cheeks. Her eyes didn’t meet Shinpachi’s. “It’s… A-all of my fault!” She choked out. 

Saito followed the absent look Kaita sent and came to a realization. The purple-haired samurai went to stand at the ledge of a recently disturbed area. The ledge of the cliff had given away. Something had broken it off. Two and two pieced together. 

“Atrix!” Saito shouted out. Even with the sun nearly high in the sky, the haze lingering down on the bottom prevented a clear view of the ground below. His blue eyes strained to pierce the fog in hopes of spotting anything, anybody, down on the ground. The only thing he was able to pick out was the slow pace of the river or stream. Some sort of water was at the base. Turning around, Saito reported his findings to Hijikata. 

“Atrix had fallen into water below here. I… Think she had fallen onto some rocks upon landing,” Saito narrowed his eyes. He wanted to go down and search, but he had to wait for the man’s orders. He watched as Hijikata gave orders to Shinpachi to take Kaita back to the compound. He also told Heisuke to go along with them. It left only Hijikata and Saito to search for the missing girl. 

“Let’s go,” Hijikata walked along the ledge in order to find some way down. Not an easy task. Saito made the most of the time and spotted a plausible way down. It would be enough, though still nearly steep. 

When Atrix had fallen, her heart had stopped. What happened had not just yet registered in her brain. The fall did not last long, but what waited for her was a sharp rock that was jutted right above the water. Just before she hit the water, the point of the rock pierced the right side of her stomach. With the gravitation of the fall, the rock was able to rip the tissue and skin apart. With the pain that instantly flared through her body, it was too much for her to bear. Atrix lost consciousness. 

Atrix’s unconscious body floated down the stream until it came to a stop on a bank. Dark blood pooled from the wound before the stream took hold of the fluid. With such a huge gaping wound, the amount of blood she was losing was tremendous. 

Amagiri and Chikage were close by, wanting to take care of their own business. When Chikage unexpectedly flinched in pain. What was that? The Oni’s crimson eyes narrowed. Amagiri didn’t ask the other if he was okay, for there was nothing wrong or to worry about. He did, however, heard a distant scream. Looking over, he soon spotted a floating lump coming to a stop at the bank close to him. If he clearly remembered, then he could tell that it was Atrix. 

“Chikage,” Amagiri called as he kept his gaze on the mass. 

“Hm?” Chikage walked over to him, only to spot what the other demon had. “Atrix,” He called as he approached her. It wasn’t until he drew closer when he saw, and smelled, the blood. The wound was the next thing to catch his eye. The cause for that pain just a few mere moments ago was Atrix getting hurt. A fall, no less. 

Leaving her there meant death to the girl. One he wouldn’t mind let happen, if they weren’t connected by the sensitive chains of pain. Of one of them were to die, then there was no way of knowing what would happen to the rest of them. 

“Amagiri,” The male spoke the name with a hidden meaning and command. 

“Moving her will be dangerous, but I’ll do what I can.” Saying that, the redhead gingerly picked the wounded girl up. He proceeded to carry her to their temporary place-of-stay. Medical attention was a must. Getting the bleeding to stop would take some time as well. Amagiri laid Atrix down on the floor as he worked on stopping the bleeding. Pressing his hand to the wound, he could only wait until it was a safe call to release his pressure. A cloth would have been better, but with time running out, he didn’t have much of a choice. His black gloves would do. 

Chikage stood at the doorway, his crimson eyes focusing on the unconscious girl. The pain could no longer be felt. A good sign for him, but what did that mean for Atrix? The Oni narrowed his eyes as he watched Amagiri patch her up. Her unconscious state prevented her from feeling any subconscious pain. For the time being, he will have to wait. Giving a glance at the other male, Chikage left the room. 

It took roughly an hour before the bleeding slowed enough to take his hands off of her. Now, he needed to work on clearing the surrounding surface of where the injury was. He needed to properly see what the damage was in order to proceed in helping her. He stood up and quickly went to gather some supplies. This included a warm tub of water, towels, minimal medicinal tools, and bandages. He returned to his place beside the female and once again got to the task at hand. 

Amagiri dipped a cloth into the water and left it in there for a moment to soak. He needed to remove the woman’s clothes. That was a simple enough task. With Atrix’s clothes already torn, he merely ripped the material in the way. He dipped his head in an apology. Picking the thoroughly wet towel up, he ringed a good amount of the water out before he began cleaning the gash. Dried blood was slowly wiped away. By the time he had most of the area cleaned, the once clear tub of water had been dyed red. It did its job, and he was now able to access the harm done. 

It was a very deep gash. With how rugged the slice looks, it was clear a rock, or something sharp, had been the cause. No wonder Chikage had a reaction. The male sighed. Having the knowledge to stitch a wound close, Amagiri went on to do just that. That along took some time to complete. As he finished, he dressed the wound with a bandage. He was careful when he gently lifted her back enough to firmly get the bandage around her. The Oni placed her back down once when he was done. 

Amagiri stood up and retrieved a futon. He moved Atrix to that spot soon after. What he didn’t do was redress the woman. He will restrain until the girl was able to move about on her own. 

Chikage reappeared to take note of how things were progressing. Finding Amagiri to be finished with the treatment, he moved to the wall closest to where Atrix was stationed. He waited for Amagiri to five him a report. 

“She’ll live… However, the gash will take a while to heal,” Amagiri explained. 

“Will she wake up anytime soon?” Chikage asked as his eyes traveled over to the girl. 

“I cannot say when, but when she feels herself ready, she will return to the awakening world,” As he answered, the taller demon pulled his foiled gloves off. He then left the room. 

Chikage crossed his arms and leaned his back against the wall behind him. He wasn’t happy about this turn of events. His eyes burned down at Atrix. Hurry and wake up, he seemed to be saying, trying to will the woman to wake up. Oddly enough, Chikage doesn’t feel disgusted by her. As much as he didn’t wish it to be, he was going to have to wait until the female was conscious. Sighing, he closed his eyes. 

Back at the ravine, Hijikata and Saito’s rescue search was coming up empty handed. Saito was slowly starting to lose his composure. Hijikata was starting to take notice in the change taking over his third unit captain. He had known Saito since when they were all a part of the same dojo. This was the first time since all those years ago to find the usually stoic and cool-headed samurai become so desperate. It certainly made him realize something. 

“You love her, don’t you?” The Vice Commander rose an eyebrow in question. He watched as Saito froze, as though caught by surprise. 

Saito turned his electric blue gaze towards Hijikata. He took a moment before answering. “I… Care for her deeply…,” He said vaguely. The Samurai was unsure what to call love, but his heart went out to Atrix. He just didn’t know what to classify the feeling. 

Hijikata gave him a look, but didn’t say anything more about the matter. They had been searching for the past three hours without any luck. It was time to return to the compound before it became dark. “Saito, let’s resume this search tomorrow with more people,” he said as he paused. His purple eyes followed along the stream. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she was carried further downstream.”

Saito’s expression stiffened upon hearing those words. He could not deny them, for he knew it was very possible. “Hm…”

“I’m sure someone found her and treated her,” Hijikata added as he placed a hand on the other’s shoulder. While Saito wasn’t happy about ending the search, he reluctantly complied. As he turned to leave, his sharp eyes spotted something tucked between the rock bed. He halted Hijikata before wading his way to it. Bending down, he grasped the object. As he pulled it up out of the water, he realized it was a sheathed Katana. The one he was temporarily lending Atrix. 

The stream wasn’t deep, and it was clear to peer into. The course it took was a calm, steady pace. With no other signs of the female, hope flared inside the man’s chest. Hijikata’s suggestion was likely. Clenching the katana in one hand, he waded back onto dry land. 

Hijikata and Saito returned to the Shinsengumi compound to get prepared for the next set of business. As the two passed a room, they eyed a peeping ton with long, brown-hair tired into a ponytail. 

“What are you doing?” Hijikata asked, not pleased whatsoever by he was seeing. 

“Shhh!” Heisuke glared up at the two men. “Kaita is saying something important!” He added to clear up any assumed misunderstandings. 

“What could be so important to spy on someone in your own group?” The Vice Commander grumbled. Not even a second after he said that, a voice rose loud enough for them to hear. 

In that room, Shinpachi was doing his best to calm a hysteric Kaita. She kept mumbling how it was her fault her friend had fallen to her death. At this point, Shinpachi cupped her cheeks in his hands to gain her attention. His thumbs caressed her cheekbones as he finally got to push his own words out into the open. “Sh, Kaita. It was an accident. She’s alive. I’m positive the connection we share would had let us know.”

Fresh tears came down Kaita’s cheek as she shook her head free. “You don’t get it!” She cried out, her voice going up an octave before it softened and lowered to a strain. “If I had just told her the truth, then… She… She wouldn’t have…,” Sobs wrecked through the girl’s body once again. 

Wanting to help her release all of this, he gently nudged her using words. All the while, he kept his hold on her. “What truth?” Shinpachi asked as softly as he could, yet still give an invisible push to get her to answer. For several minutes, Kaita cried but didn’t speak. Not wanting to risk having her become even more withdrawn, the samurai didn’t force her and simply waited until she felt ready to speak. She finally opened her mouth to talk. 

“I…,” She slowly started, a glimmer of fear edging its way into her voice. “When I was younger…,” Another painful pause. Kaita whimpered as she recalled that horrifying day. “All I was doing was walking home from school… This elderly man approached me, asking for help…,” Pain erupted from the core of her heart. Shinpachi moved his hand to stroke her hair in reassurance. The feeling he got made him believe whatever happened wasn’t anything innocent. Kaita’s next set of words only confirmed that. 

“Like any other good little girls’, I went ahead and sought what he wanted help with. As it turned out… He led me to his home… Took me to his ‘den’, and… Raped me a few times,” Her voice cracked, her eyes widening as tears flowed in full down her cheeks, dripping off her chin. Shinpachi was quick in circling his strong arms around her, pulling her to his chest. “I was only eleven!” She cried as she squirmed. She tried pushing herself away from him, but the samurai held fast, preventing her from escaping him. He was furious to learn of this dark secret, but he wanted to show her she wasn’t alone. 

“That explains why you get scared of another man’s touch, but I would never do something like that to you. You have my word,” Shinpachi spoke soothingly, pressing his forehead against her’s, nearly matching her eye level. He wiped away the tears before lightly kissing her on the forehead. Kaita tensed before slowly relaxing. It didn’t last long, for her worries returned. 

“But! If I had just told her this… It would’ve prevented this from happening,” She looked down. 

Shinpachi shook his head. “Not necessarily,” He then smiled and pulled her up. He continued as he saw the question hiding behind the female’s eyes. “Just because one thing changes, doesn’t mean the outcome wouldn’t be the same.” Seeing the guilt in her eyes return, Shinpachi placed his large hand on her head. “If you feel that strongly, we should find her first,” He said gently. 

“I hate to break your bubble, but that will have to wait. “A search party will be sent out again tomorrow. Wait until then,” Hijikata stated as he made his presence known, as well as the others’. Saito was silent, though his face was paler than usual. Heisuke whistled and pretended nothing happened. Kaita’s cheeks reddened, as well as fear coming to her was kept at bay. 

“Oi, I thought you guys don’t condone eavesdropping!” Shinpachi spewed. 

“That only works when you can’t hear your words clearly out in the hall,” The Vice Commander responded back with ease. Shinpachi puffed his cheeks in denial, only to get Kaita to laugh at this banter. It was a small, almost nervous laugh, but one nevertheless. “Anyway, we need to be able to see to properly look for her. If someone has her, then that would be a better outcome. If we do find her body, then that is just something we need to prepare for. Keep that in mind.” Hijikata then went out of the room, heading his way to his room to finish that last stack of reports. 

“Thank you for sharing this with me,” Shinpachi told Kaita as he led her to her room. Kaita nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line, as though considering something. “What is it?” He asked as they paused just outside her door. 

“I… I don’t want to be alone. Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?” She asked softly, shyly. It was a step for her to fully trusting the man. Realizing this, Shinpachi was quick to agree. 

“After you then, Miss~,” He teased as he waited for her to get inside the room before following behind her. He was already aware; nothing was going to happen for a while. He was happy, though. 

Kaita got her futon out before climbing into it. As though a portion of a spell was unlocked, the comforter was somehow comfortable for once. Shinpachi stayed close, holding the girl’s hand until she was soundly asleep. It wasn’t long as he could hear the soft breathing of a sleeping person. He smiled softly, staying just like that for as long as he dared. He wanted more, but he knew better than to push things. 

“Good night, Kaita,” Shinpachi whispered, bending down to her ear before pecking her on the cheek. He was going to have to hold off on going any further until she gave her consent. Before he broke that tempting promise, he got up and went to his own room. The night was going to be long, wasn’t it? 

Over at a side house, Doctor Matsumoto had spent an hour on getting Souji to calm his fits of coughing. He was conscious, but miserable. And terribly stubborn. The more he told him to rest, the more the boy resisted. Souji was more than annoyed by the old man’s nagging. He knew his body better than anyone. He knew he was dying, so what was so wrong with wanting to end things the way he wanted to? Did he have any say in the matter? 

Souji reached into the inside of his kimono, a vial clenched in his hand. The red liquid swished as the man brought it closer to his eyes. It was the Water of Life. The elixir that could possibly cure his illness. It would also turn him mad if he lost his battle. Feeling that flash of frustration of being stuck inside his useless body, he pulled the top off between his teeth and poured the liquid down his throat. Instantly, a reaction started, his body burning as his cells transitioned. His soul screaming as the pain increased. 

He had forgotten what the connection could do. How his pain was going to be known with some of his comrades. Luckily, he hadn’t planned on hiding the truth, for that would never work out well for him. He was alone for the time being. He bit his lip as he held back a shout, his brown hair turning to a snowy-white, his eyes now burning crimson. It was time to find out just how well this medicine worked. 

“Wait for me,” Souji breathed as he led the way down to his first order of business. He needed to rejoin and fight with the rest of the Shinsengumi. Despite ready to move on, he had to sit down for a chance to let that medicine, the Water of Life, take full effect. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall for support.

Even if the Shinsengumi ended up losing, it didn’t mean there would be an end.


	10. Chapter 10

Atrix’s POV:  
Feverish nightmares threaded through her mind. A mixture of undesirable pain. A glimpse of the past, of the taunts she had once endured. A fire igniting somewhere nearby, its flames bringing along its heat. Atrix found herself running away from the blaze that she could feel, but not see. Before she knew it, she was entering a scene she knew really well. It was a memory of when she met Kaita. However, rather than living it, she was watching it as a spectator. 

Before meeting Kaita, Atrix had been a constant target of bullying. Since she nearly never fought back, it made it easy for them to taunt and tease her. This was back in high school, freshmen year. Atrix had seen a girl being picked on by some other girls, likely the ones who deem themselves as important. Knowing how awful it could be, she went closer in hopes of interfering. As she drew closer, the clearer the words had become. They were harassing her. Taking a step forward, she spoke up in the other’s defense. 

“I’d move out of the way, if I were you. Someone will run right over you if you keep standing in the way,” Atrix stated rather boldly. A behavior she rarely displayed. Her words seemed to have surprised the girls. It wasn’t enough to get them to stop. 

“This has nothing to do with you, Wolfhaven,” One clicked her tongue in irritation. 

“Bulling is everyone’s business. It reveals your pitiful jealousy,” Atrix said her words steadily. It was amusing, seeing how she was treated similarly. It was also clear that her statement alarmed then. So, she hit the nail right on the head. 

“Tsk! Shut up,” The main girl growled before slinking off. Atrix watched the other leave behind her, casting looks of disbelief behind them. 

“Thank you!” The girl smiled in appreciation. 

Atrix nodded, her shyness returning. 

The scene shifted, sending her into a whirlpool. The images twisted to bring forward another memory. This time, one that wasn’t pleasant. It was when a group of goofy looking guys flirted with Kaita. It was the same group who had often picked on her, and they still often taunted her. A spark of hurt vibrated through her chest. She was jealous. Compared to Kaita, Atrix had little to offer. Hanging back out of sight, she listened in. That turned out to be a bad idea. 

“Hey, Kaita. Why not get rid of that one sidekick of yours and come with us instead? I would love to get to know you some more, babe,” One of them coaxed, his words sounding sweeter than they were. 

“Yeah, why hang with a nobody when you could hang with us?” Another one asked, his voice sharp. Atrix’s eyes narrowed. It’s always a nice thing to know how one feels about you. She left after that, unable to get herself to appear before them. That was common, or so it became. Each time, Kaita turned them down. But in the end, it left the girl feeling jealous. No guy approached her, after all. 

Once more, the scene faded. It shimmered as it brought out a memory that she didn’t wish recall. For the first time, she had received a letter, one that requested her presence on the rooftop. Excitement and worry clawed at her stomach. The excitement would prove to be short lived, however. The moment she reached the roof, things turned out horrible. A guy stood a few yards from the door, a camera in hand. The same moment she noted a flash, something cold was dumped on top of her. It was dirty water. 

When it clicked in her head, her eyes went dark. It was a set up. The guy, who took the picture proved it by saying, “Look! She actually thought someone was interested in her!” Laughter engulfed the area around her. 

Ah, a prank. She would be lying if she hadn’t been expecting that. Even so, the little bit of hope she had was stolen away. Atrix started laughing, to hide her humiliation. “Heh. You thought I came up here for that? I hate to burst your bubbles, but I only came up here for the view,” She said coolly. Her words were nothing more than a bravado. Turning around on her heel, the girl left the rooftop and returned to the hallways of the school. Slowing her pace, Atrix casted her eyes down. Her heart was hurting. 

It turned out to be a mistake. Her brave act only made the student body all the more aggressive in wanting to bring her down. Rather than the taunting, the guys went on to mocking and degrading her. They were attacking her verbally, targeting her physical appearance and went as far as comparing her Kaita. 

“Kaita’s breasts are so much larger than yours!” one would mockingly laugh. 

“Her body is so lovely! Her figure is what all us men are craving for!” Another would coo. 

“Even her modest personality is better than yours!” A third would throw at her. Every single one would be on repeat. Every single school day it was spoken to her. Each with the same sneering expression, and the same snarky tone. Sure, it killed her self-esteem, but it was getting old. One day, their words took a step up, making things worse for her. They focused more on aiming for her appearance. Instead of the comparison of what they were originally doing, they spiced it up for themselves. 

“Are you sure you’re a girl?” The one who Atrix saw as the leader spoke up. His words sounded a little on the cold side. 

“Nah, dude. I’m sure ‘she’ has a dick in there,” His friend smirked. “Why else would ‘she’ not have any boobs?” 

“Well, there’s only one way to find out! Let’s undress her!” The first exclaimed as he reached out, attempting to grab ahold of her shirt. Sure she was a tomboy, and wore clothing that suited a male, and her hair was short; but this was no reason to do this to her! So… Why couldn’t she move?

The moment the male’s hand touched her. Kaita’s voice filled the room. “Don’t you dare pick on her!” The girl said as she stood in front of Atrix, removing the boy’s hand. Her friend came to defend her. Or… That was what she had been made to believe. What came out of Kaita’s mouth made her blood run cold. 

“Why touch her, when you can touch me?” Kaita pouted. Atrix watched in disbelief as Kaita moved closer to the male, nuzzling his chin with an unusual affection. 

“Kaita, love, it was you who told us to pick on her,” The male student nearly purred, his hand moving to grope her rear. 

“That may be, but I don’t want you to foil your hands by touching this man of a girl,” Kaita giggled flirtatiously. Those words made Atrix's heart drop several hundred feet. This time, she didn’t hold back her tears. Even Kaita had abandoned her. She really was alone in this world, wasn’t she? Kaita’s laughter cracked her heart until it shattered into sharded pieces. As a hollow feeling came to mind, a fire of rage took hold. However, before she could make any sort of move, one of the male students grabbed her by her hair, yanking her head back. Atrix cried out, only for it to end in a pain-filled yelp. Kaita kicked her in the stomach with the tip of her shoe. Due to her arms being restrained by two other students, she couldn’t move to defend herself. 

“Oh, Atrix. Did you really think I, or anyone for that matter, would become friends with the likes of you? You have no appealing attributes, you know. I think its about time you learn your place, don’t you?” Kaita spoke as though it didn’t matter either way. 

The male who was pulling her hair had tightened his grip. He yanked down even harder, making it difficult to breathe. Tears streamed down her cheeks. 

“Don’t take it the hard way. You’re simply getting what you deserve,” Kaita sighed, as though finding it a bother. Atrix was having a hard time making sense of all of this. Was this planned from the start?

Kaita glared down at her, as though able to hear what she was thinking. “Why?” Atrix’s voice was quiet. “Why did you have to pretend to be my friend? You could’ve been better off without the mask…,” She didn’t say it, but she knew why. She just wanted to hear the other say it. 

Making a silent command, the three men restraining her forced her to the ground. Kaita loomed over her, her face twisted in a wicked way. Fear engulfed her as she watched the girl she once saw as a friend raise her foot above her. Since when did she wear heels? That was a thought that wouldn’t be finished. 

“Why don’t you just disappear already?!” A growl vibrated inside the room just as a splintering pain pierced Atrix’s side when Kaita slammed her heel-cladded shoes down with a force no one would suspect. The heel buried deeply into her flesh, causing even more pain. Atrix cried out and started to thrash her legs and arms around, soon grabbing and clawing at the leg that pinned her down. 

The scene wavered before breaking apart. “Damn it, wake up!” A shouting voice drove into her eardrum. A heavy weight was pressing down on top of her, while her own screams were cut off. Her teal eyes popped opened, only for her vision to pick up on a broad chest inside a white kimono. Her eyes travelled up to see the neckpiece she had become familiar with. Chikage’s crimson eyes bore down at her. 

“Chikage?” Atrix breathed out sharply, her voice coming out as more of a choke. Her throat felt dry as she tried to swallow. It was just a dream. A horrible nightmare. Tears swelled at the corner of her eyes, causing her vision to blur. The pressure was taken off of her arms and legs as the Oni released his grip. Chikage did not say anything at first; he waited until the girl had calmed down before saying anything. 

“Don’t move so wildly. There is a deep gash on your side. From your earlier thrashes, its been reopened. It also hurts. Don’t forget. Any pain you can feel, so can I,” Chikage spoke sternly, but not harshly. 

Atrix moved her left hand over to her side, but before it could even reach the wound, Chikage caught ahold of her wrist. “Tsk. This is why I hate humans. They can’t listen,” The Oni stated matter-of-factly. Atrix felt too weak to resist. Breathing wasn’t difficult, at least. Her mind tried to recollect what had happened. What had happened? Her head throbbed as a headache made itself known. 

“What happened?” The female asked with uncertainty. 

“You fell from a cliff.” Came another voice. Amagiri walked into the room. Realization lit her teal eyes as the last scene before she fell replayed in her head. She had attacked Kaita. “It’s fortunate to see you are awake. I must ask how you came from such a fall… If we hadn’t been close by, then you could have been dead,” The taller Oni said as he crouched down. He lifted the futon cover up and aside, only to find the bandages soaked blood. A sigh left his lips. 

Atrix squeaked when cooler air touched her skin. Her cheeks went red from learning of how naked she was. At least her pants were still on. 

“I apologize for this inconvenience. I cannot allow anything heavy to interfere with that injury. As you can see, moving too much is all it takes to reopen it,” Amagiri continued, dipping his head apologetically. Chikage didn’t do the same. He had no reason to. “Would you care answering what I asked?”

“Oh… I was… I got into an argument with Kaita…,” Atrix’s voice got several times softer. She wasn’t lying, but it wasn’t the whole truth. It wasn’t something she was proud to admit. It was her fault for getting into such an ugly mess. It was her own fault she fell and got such a serious injury. 

Chikage didn’t look convinced. Amagiri merely waited for her to say more regarding the matter. Feeling like she had no other choice, the female reluctantly told the two what happened. About Kaita keeping secrets and how she seemed like more of a coward. Atrix went on to say how she herself grew annoyed and was hurt enough to lunge at the other girl. Neither of them had even seen the ledge. “It’s my fault it happened,” She ended, clenching her fists. There was no denying it. Would she even be able to face Kaita after this?

“I see,” Amagiri sighed as he stood up. “You will have to remain here until you are able to walk anywhere.” She saw that coming. Atrix did not make any objections. Not that she could. It was obvious she was in no state to even stand, much less sit up. The gash on her side needed to mend. Trying to leave would mean her end. She nodded her head to show her understanding. Seemingly satisfied, the dark red-head left the room, leaving Chikage and her alone. 

The Oni didn’t say anything, making the room heavily quiet. Not knowing anything she could say, the female closed her eyes. Her mind wavered as her consciousness slipped away. Atrix’s body relaxed as she fell into a light sleep. No dreams interfered this time. Her mind left her in a peaceful state. 

As the girl drifted off to sleep, Chikage watched over her. His red eyes glanced over at her relaxed form. She was in enemy territory, yet she was able to easily let down her guard. If they weren’t connected by some strange ‘curse’, then he wouldn’t have had any reason to keep her alive… Or so he believed. He also had no doubts the Shinsengumi would be on their way to search for her. Not that he’d let those men get anywhere near here. 

His attention was grabbed when Atrix unknowingly raised her hand and hovered it over her wound. He reached over in time to catch her wrist, preventing her from touching the torn flesh. “Don’t make this difficult,” Chikage stated despite knowing the woman couldn’t hear him. It was going to be a long night. 

Saito’s POV  
Three days had passed and not once had they sent out a search and rescue for Atrix. It had been three days since learning of Kaita’s past as well. Saito kept to himself more so than usual since then. ‘If Kaita had said this sooner, then this whole ordeal could have been avoided,’ Was a constant thought circling in the Samurai’s head. However, he knew better than to make accusations. He was sure Kaita had her reasons. Even so, he just couldn’t help feeling restless and frustrated. Restless in wanting to go find her, and frustrated in being unable to do so. 

The night before, he had a sharp pain coming from his side. While the pain wasn’t welcomed, it was a relief. It meant Atrix was alive. Saito wanted to know what Hijikata planned on doing. With that train of thought, the purple-haired man went to the Vice Commander’s room. “Hijikata?” The young man called out. 

“Come in,” Came a tired voice on the other side of the paper door. Permission granted, Saito entered the room. Hijikata had bags under his eyes, matching his voice to a degree. “By your expression, I take it you’re anxious to know when we will send that search team, right?” He did not wait for a response. “Well, that’s going to have to wait. I got word of a rebellion going on a few miles east of Kyoto.”

“The forest?” Saito asked as he pressed his lips together in a thin line. 

“An odd place, but that doesn’t mean what Yamazaki said isn’t true. In a month’s time, we should have the evidence needed to move out and take control of the situation. Until then, we must not do things so rashly. That includes going out into possible enemy territory.” Hijikata’s words were final. That didn’t mean he had to approve of them. But he did have to follow them. 

Saito kept a stoic expression on his face. The Vice Commander’s decision held reason. Even so, the purple-haired samurai couldn’t help feeling apprehensive. Will Atrix be alright? Dipping his head, he left the room to go to his own. 

Pausing just outside of his room, he looked out into the courtyard. He spotted Shinpachi and Heisuke across the way. Kaita seemed to be between the two. Maybe it was due to finally confessing what has been dragging her down, but she looked happier… And more into Shinpachi, he couldn’t help but notice. It made him more self-aware of how much he missed Atrix. 

A month. He had to wait a month before he could even go out to seek her. Why did it have to annoy him so? 

During the next few weeks, Saito had been focusing on training the new recruits, wanting to keep his mind occupied. He did not go easy on either of them, though he made sure not to severely injure them. Those who were injured were to be treated by Kaita. Or so it was supposed to go. Whether it happened, he did not know. The samurai kept his skills refined, even sparring with Souji, which ended up in a draw. The man wasn’t like this. He was usually silent and observant. It was his feelings towards the girl that made him act this way. 

Shaking his head clear, he heard his name being called. Turning his head to look over his shoulder, Saito spotted Hijikata heading right towards him. What could it be this time? 

“Oi, get your unit together. Tell Souji to do the same, will you? We need to get going. The sooner the better. We have what we need to arrest the ronin,” The black-haired man stated, as a light smile crossed his lips. In other words, it was his chance to start the long awaited search for Atrix. But, was it too late to find evidence of where she could be? That was the hard question he has to ask himself. There was also only one way to find out. Get to the searching. 

It would be within the next few days when a storm brings them their glory. 

Atrix’s POV  
Ever so slowly, the gash was closing as it healed. Thanks to Amagiri’s daily care, that is. The first week was the hardest. It was nearly impossible to move any part of her body. She wouldn’t have, if she didn’t need to go to the restroom and bathe. The bathroom was one thing she was readily to go alone. As for bathing, Amagiri had a way of washing and flushing the wound to where she could still remained clothed, much to her relief. Until the injury was healed, she had been instructed to lightly bathe. At least she wasn’t getting dirty while laying inside all day. 

By the second week, she was able to move with a slight more ease. It still throbbed if she moved around too much, but no complaints from Chikage meant it wasn’t disturbing him or any of the other mark bearers. It relieved her. Absentmindedly, she placed her hand over the wound, but did not apply any pressure. 

“I believe you’ve been told numerous times not to do that,” Came the familiar voice. Atrix’s teal eyes met Chikage’s Crimson ones. Her cheeks heated up out of embarrassment for getting caught. 

“Sorry…,” The girl murmured quietly. 

The Oni stared at her for a minute before saying what was on his mind. “The Shinsengumi is on the move,” he said. The way it was spoken made it seem as though there was more to what he had to say. The hopeful expression must had been enough to get him to continue. “They are headed to take care of a group of ronin. They haven’t done anything to suggest they are going to try to find you.” 

Atrix bit her lip before speaking. “They’ll come find me. I know they will. They have important things they need to do. Even if they don’t, then I will go to them,” She responded accordingly. 

Seeing the surety burning inside the young woman’s eyes caused his own to narrow. “And if they abandon you?”

“Then I guess I would be on my own, huh?” At those words, her heart ached with that thought. Would they accept her back after what she had done to Kaita? A spark of fear pierced through her heart. In an attempt to hide it, she clenched her hand. 

Chikage caught her wrist just before she clenched the injury. A full on glare was sent her way. Feeling her flinch, the demon pulled her after him as he went outside. “Tsk. Listen to what you’re told. This is your last warning.” The demon didn’t appear to be bothered, but one had to wonder. Before she could even ask her question, the male was already answering. “A walk.” It was a simple answer, but it was enough to get her to become quiet. 

Having no room to decline, Atrix went along without complaint. That didn’t mean her thoughts remained with her, however. Were they really not looking for her? Not even Saito? Perhaps they all had a different opinion of her after attacking Kaita. It bothered and scared her. As she walked behind Chikage, she could feel him tighten his grip on her hand. It made her blink out of her train of thought. 

The blonde-haired man stopped and turned around to look at her. “I won’t prevent you from trying to get back to those men; however, I will not tolerate you leaving with a barely healed injury. Wait until its healed.” It wasn’t an order, but it still held the tone not to argue against. Not that she was going to deny the course of action was a good idea. She needed time to heal. 

“Thank you, Chikage. For saving me,” Atrix softly said, squeezing the male’s hand briefly. 

Chikage started walking once again, releasing his hold on her hand. Atrix trailed behind him. The rest of the walk may had been silent, but it was a comfortable silence. It allowed her to smile after suck a long time. 

A couple more weeks passed before Atrix was in the clear with the wound. While it still wasn’t at one hundred percent, it had healed enough for her to return to doing every day chores. Which was her way of repaying the two men for helping her in her time of need. By the end of the fourth week, Atrix felt the moment come for her to leave. So, when dinner came around, she brought the discussion up. 

“I… Think its time I returned to the Shinsengumi. I just wanted to thank you two for allowing me to stay here until I was healed. And for saving my life, of course,” She started, her words shaky at first, only for her voice to become clear. She really was thankful, and there was nothing she could really do to express her gratitude. 

Amagiri simply dipped his head, as Chikage kept his eyes on her. So much for words, right? There wasn’t anything else to say, so she may as well leave. Bowing her head, the female stood up only to have her arm yanked down. The pull was enough for her to land right on Chikage’s lap. “Wait until the morning, you mindless woman,” He stated. The words may had seem harsh, but the tone was light. 

“Oh… I guess that would be the wiser idea. Haha,” Atrix laughed nervously. She couldn’t see in the dark. Leaving that aside, why did the Oni pull her into this kind of position? Her cheeks heated in embarrassment. As she tried to get off his lap, he prevented her from doing so. 

“Just eat the rest of your food,” Chikage grumbled. 

Atrix sighed and did as she was told. She already knew the man wouldn’t let her go until she did just that. The rest of the meal finished with small talk. When all was done, Chikage let her go to return to her room for the last night. The female was both glad and sad. Glad she’ll be able to see the Shinsengumi members again, but sad to be leaving the other two men. Admittedly, she was also apprehensive towards finding out if they would allow her back in. Would Kaita even still see her as a friend? Both left her afraid to know. It was the need to know that drove her forwards. 

Atrix spent the whole night with these restless thoughts, leaving her without a wink of sleep. When the first rays of sunlight filtered into the sky, she was all ready to go. Not that she had anything to bring with her. Opening the door, she was surprised to see Chikage waiting for her. It was quick to reveal he was going to guide her to the group of men she sought after. As for the journey itself, it was quiet and shorter than she had expected. They were still in the forest. It was when she remembered the demon’s words that allowed her to put together the scene. The Shinsengumi were going against the ronin. 

From where she stood, she was able to tell the battle had been going on for quite some time. She could see the wounds each sides were obtaining. To her delight, the Shinsengumi was coming out to be the stronger group. They were clearly going to win. 

With a newfound determination, Atrix glanced around before darting down the least dangerous pathway. She heard a scoff from behind her, but there was nothing to stop her. As she made it to the outer ring, her eyes shone brightly while her breathing became a bit labored from her rush. The female’s teal eyes scanned the surrounding area. 

Where was he?  
\-------------------------------------------

Kaita’s POV:  
Sleep had come to her rather easily this time around. After telling Shinpachi about what had happened to her in the past, Kaita had felt that a weight had started to lift off her. But as she slept the worry about how Atrix was faring is what unsettled her dreams. 

Darkness engulfed Kaita as she slept, but what she heard is what made her peaceful night turn eerie. She could hear the laughs of the old man that had raped her, the sounds of others that had come over to the old man’s house to indulge in their sick fantasies. Kaita screamed out hoping that someone would help her. It was then that Shinpachi appeared in front of her, a sigh of relief escaped her lips as Kaita ran towards him. But it seemed that she could never reach him. ‘Wait please…. Don’t leave me here with them…. SHINPACHI!!!!!’

At that, Kaita woke up startled. She searched her room for the man that she had seen in her dreams but couldn’t find him. “Shinpachi….” Kaita got up from her warm futon and put on her night kimono robe. Making sure the coast was clear before she stepped out of her room, Kaita made her way quietly to Shinpachi’s room.

At first, it took a lot of courage just to even decide to go to the tall samurai’s room. But Kaita really just wanted to be in his presence after having that hellish dream of her past. She finally stood before the sliding door to Shinpachi’s room, her hand cupped around her mouth as she whispered quietly but enough to grab some attention.

“Shinpachi…. it’s me…. Shinpachi….” Kaita called out for the man as loud as she could. She placed her ear close to the door to listen for any movement. Taking it a step further, she opened the door slightly in order to pear into the room. “Shinpachi? Can I please come in?” Kaita was only responded with the sound of a light snore, so she opened the door further and stepped into the dark room. Though she knew it wasn’t proper, Kaita still wanted to be with Shinpachi after having that nightmare. With every step she took the floor creaked ever so slightly, in a haze Shinpachi opened his sleepy eyes to see a silhouette in his room.

“Whose…” Before he could finish his question, Kaita knelt down beside him and put a finger to his lips. “I’m sorry to have woken you…. I…...I just couldn’t sleep…...I tried to get your attention but you were sound asleep. It wasn’t until I entered that you stirred. I…. just want to be with you right now….” Kaita softly spoke, but upon realizing what she had said, it sounded like Kaita was pushing herself onto the man. “Please don’t misunderstand… it’s just that…. I had a nightmare….”

This time it was Shinpachi who stopped Kaita from saying anymore. “It’s okay… you’re more than welcome to stay.” He opened up the comforter of the futon so as to let Kaita in, and she hesitantly did so. A blush played on the cheeks of both Shinpachi and Kaita but it was Shinpachi’s thoughts that made him blush even more. 

He had grown to have feelings for Kaita, but after hearing about her past, he was more determined to be there for her. On the other hand, Kaita still kept a slight distance between her and the man. She stayed on the edge of the futon but it was Shinpachi’s sigh that made her jump. “You’re not going to sleep well if you stay all the way over there…. Come here…” It was as if the order wasn’t enough, Shinpachi dragged Kaita closer to him, sharing more of his warmth with her. “This way you know I’m still here next to you.”

“Shinpachi…...Thank you.” Kaita smiled and placed a light kiss on Shinpachi’s cheek, or what she thought was his cheek. Since the room was so dark and her eyes still had not adjusted, Kaita’s lips had found Shinpachi’s. They both pulled away from each other and blushed even more. Neither one could speak but Shinpachi held Kaita closer to him. “…Sleep now….We need our strength to find Atrix.” Kaita only nodded and somehow sank deeper into the man’s embrace only for the sound of light breathing to signal that she had fallen back asleep.

Shinpachi smiled, not only that he had Kaita in his arms without her freaking out or trying to get away, but that they had shared a light kiss. ‘Oh come off it Shinpachi…it’s not like that…right?’ He strained his eyes to look at the definition of Kaita’s face and let his hand caress it ever so lightly. Shinpachi gave Kaita one last kiss on her forehead before lulling back to sleep himself, holding Kaita close in a warm embrace.

Three days had passed and the air at the Shinsengumi Headquarters seemed heavy. Everyone in their own way was preoccupied with their duties and no one had set out to look for Atrix. Even Kaita was confined to the walls of the Shinsengumi since most of the captains and their squads were still attending to their rounds. The young girl couldn’t help but sigh from time to time whenever she saw or caught a glimpse of Saito. In some way, she felt that he could be wondering as to why she didn’t tell her secret sooner, but of course Kaita herself couldn’t bear to say anything out of fear of reliving it.

Shinpachi couldn’t do anything for Kaita but just watch over her. The girl had kept to herself within the inner courtyard of the compound. Every now and then Kaita would let her hand hover over her side, “If this pain from the other day keeps throbbing then that must mean she’s alive.... I really do hope that you’re doing alright Atrix….” A solemn look to the sky is all Shinpachi do every time that he saw the girl blame herself for Atrix’s fall.

Heisuke had seen Kaita in the courtyard various times but every time that he tried to approach her, he was either blindsided with a task, intercepted by one of his squad members, or beaten to the punch by Shinpachi. All he wanted to do was cheer the girl up so this time without stopping he approached her. “Kaita… I promise you everything is going to be alright. We’ll find Atrix, you can count on that.” A sweet smile placed itself on Kaita’s lips as she looked at the long haired male. “Thank you Heisuke.” A cough interrupted the moment that Heisuke thought he was having with Kaita.

“Heisuke’s right, but you have everyone here in the Shinsengumi to back you up.” The male looked over at Heisuke who looked like he was fuming. “Shin.Pa.Chi….you always have the worst timing.” Heisuke balled his fists like he was about to start a fight with the other male but instead of doing so a giggle cut him off. Even Shinpachi was surprised by it, they both looked at Kaita whose smile had grown into full on laughter. Both Shinpachi and Heisuke stopped their petty argument and looked at Kaita, “What Heisuke said is true, I also promise you that Atrix will be found and you will not need to bear the burden of the sad look you have had these past couple of days.” Kaita nodded and hugged both men before retreating to the kitchen to help with dinner.

By this time, a month had passed and at some point the compound become lively with its soldiers rushing around and preparing. Just to find out what was going on Kaita sought out Shinpachi. “Um…I don’t mean to intrude…but…why is everyone so worked up?” The male looked over his shoulder as he finished putting together his armor and weapons on. Shinpachi let out a sigh and faced the girl. “There is a rebellion just on the outskirts of Kyoto… In the forest where the incident occurred…” Shinpachi bit his lip because he knew what Kaita was going to say next. “I highly advise that you stay put…”

Kaita cut Shinpachi by placing her hand up. “No….I refuse to stay behind like a helpless child waiting for you to return. My friend is out there in that forest and you….The man that I care for is heading to battle ronin. I will not standby in agony waiting for your return and news of Atrix having been found. So don’t give me this bullshit and let me go with you.” Shinpachi could only stare at Kaita; he had never spoken so brazen then again, she had always kept to herself since meeting the Shinsengumi. But what caught him off guard besides her boldness was her confession; Shinpachi even guessed that Kaita had not realized it herself. 

After saying her piece, Kaita turned to leave to get ready to head out with the rest of the Shinsengumi but two arms wrapped around her preventing her departure. “I understand what you’re saying but…. I cannot bear to see the women that I love hurt in battle because I took my eyes off of her for a moment.” Now it was Kaita’s turn to blush, what she had said to Shinpachi came racing back at her and what he just said to her made her even more embarrassed. “What I’m telling you comes from my heart Kaita, I don’t know when it was but you stole my heart and I hope that I can steal yours too.” Kaita could only nod at this point; she had no words to express the elation she was feeling. At that moment both Kaita and Shinpachi shared a passionate kiss and embraced each other before they continued to prepare for battle.

Days later Kaita followed the Shinsengumi to the battlefield but was ordered to stay back within the shadows of the trees. Though she carried a sword, Shinpachi instructed her to use as a last resort to defend herself from the enemy. Kaita had mixed feelings being left on the sidelines, she wanted to be there to protect Shinpachi but she knew if she was there that she would a hindrance to him. The battle had started but it was early enough to see that the Shinsengumi would turn out to be the victor of this battle.

Kaita had continue to watch the battle from her position, but she watched even more intently was Shinpachi. At one point she looked away because she couldn’t bear to see him getting attacked by so many ronin. When Kaita opened her eyes she caught a glimpse of someone, when her eyes focused in on the figure she nearly lost her composure. It was Atrix that she saw. Kaita immediately headed in her direction.  
\--------------------------------------

Combined POV  
Just as Atrix was looking intently around; Kaita had spotted her from the shadows of the trees. A mixture of emotions weaved her was through her heart. Relief, happiness, and fear. The happiness weighed out the other, for the girl launched herself at the missing girl. 

“Atrix!” Kaita cried out. 

Atrix swung her head in time to see Kaita. Not being able to dodge, she was nearly knocked back onto the ground. Thankfully, she was able to retain her balance. “Kaita?” Atrix’s voicer was softer from uncertainty. From the other girl's display, it didn’t seem as though she was upset with her. In fact, Kaita looked happy to see her again. 

“Atrix! You’re back! You’re alive! When you fell—I… It made me realize that I should’ve talked to you more. I’m sorry,” Kaita hugged her friend for a few extra moments before pulling away. 

Atrix shook her head as she returned the hug. “No, I should’ve been more considerate… I only let my own emotions get the better of me. If I hadn’t been so persistent about making you talk, then this would have never happened.” A small smile tugged her lips up. There was a slight awkwardness to her tone, but it wasn’t to noticeable. 

Kaita would have argued back, but she chose to back away from the topic. At least for the time being. Her eyes went over to where the heat of the battle was. By this time, the outer skirts were beginning to slow. This continued until the ronin saw that they were going to lose. When this happened, the ronin did what they could do to withdraw. Not without more casualties, of course. 

At last, the fighting had come to an end. The Shinsengumi had won the battle. While the unscathed men went to check on the injured, there was one in particular that had already started to gather the few unharmed men together. Now that the fighting was over, it meant he was able to get on to his next order of business. Finding Atrix. A task that proved to be easier than he had thought. 

As Saito was about to go on the hunt, he heard the one voice he had been hoping to find. Looking over to the left, his sharp, blue eyes landed on the back of that very girl. Instead of saying anything, he walked quickly to where Atrix was standing. Without any hesitation, the man circled his black-sleeved arms around Atrix’s chest as he pulled her against him. He could feel her relax into his embrace. 

“I finally found you,” Saito’s voice came out as a husky whisper. His arms tightened around her. Atrix’s eyes had gone wide when she was pulled back into a hug. However, she was thrilled when she recognized the one responsible. 

Saito let go of her to allow her the freedom to turn around. Something Atrix was glad, and eager, to do. When she did turn around, she was the first one to start the hug. The happiness brought tears to her eyes as she took in the samurai’s scent. Burying her nose into his chest, the male tightened his grip. When another moment passed, Saito once again released his hold to look down at the girl. A warm feeling spread though his chest and before he knew it, he was leaning down. His lips pressed down onto of her’s, his hands cupping Atrix’s cheeks. 

The kiss was short lived. Only a few seconds into the sweet reunion, and the both of them pulled back in shock as a pain-filled voice echoed into their minds. 

‘No,’ it started. ‘Don’t leave me behind too,’ The voice had continued. It sounded sad, angry, and pained. It belonged to Souji. 

Atrix looked over her shoulder; her eyes became locked with the green of Souji’s. His eyes were narrowed, and his breathing was labored. Even from this distance, she could tell the Tuberculosis was having a toll on him. It was drastically eating away at his life. He was even using his katana as a crutch. Souji should have still been receiving treatment at Doctor Matsumoto’s, so why was he forcing himself all this way? 

Kaita, who had turned her attention to Shinpachi, had also heard the voice inside her head. What caught her attention was another voice invading her mind. It wasn’t just her’s, but everyone with the mark could hear them as well. And it hurt. 

‘Don’t keep looking at him, look at me too, Kaita!’ Heisuke’s inner voice seemed to cry out. ‘Atrix,’ Souji’s voice came right after. The marked group were already in a close proximity, except for the Oni, but he too could hear what was happening. The uncomfortable feeling in his chest was making him feel frustrated. What was going on? A hand went to his chest, trying to press the feeling away. 

Atrix watched as Souji took a few steps forwards, his eyes never leaving Atrix. Saito held his arm in front of her, as though in an attempt to protect her. ‘Why?’ Came Souji’s question. ‘Why can’t I have anything?’

Everything was so unfair, was what the ill samurai was thinking. He knew he was dying, yet what left the man frustrated and upset was his uselessness. He could still be of use, yet everyone kept pushing him back. 

“Souji,” Atrix quietly spoke his name. ‘Because I love Saito,’ Came her reply. Saito’s eyes widened at the indirect confession, but they both flinched when a heavy, deep pain came from their chests. “Like I needed to hear that.” Souji’s eyes were dark, his voice thick. It was the look of a heartbroken man. Heisuke wasn’t too far from it as well. 

‘Kaita,’ The younger male kept calling out, his inner voice sounding more desperate with each time his voice came through. ‘Kaita…’ It was nearly a beg. Kaita started to grow wary. “Stop,” Kaita nearly whimpered. ‘I don’t want to deal with this,’ Was her own inner response. ‘Heisuke, please don’t.” 

“It’s unfair,” Heisuke voiced, scowling. Another sharp stab came from the young man. 

“Oi! Stop acting like a brat. Its Kaita’s choice when it comes to who she loves. Don’t make things difficult,” Shinpachi positioned himself in front of Kaita. 

“Like how you do when you keep her to yourself? You never let me hang with her!” Heisuke raised his voice. 

What exactly was going on? Atrix and Kaita shared a look from afar. Both were uneasy and unsure how to even react in this situation. Usually they didn’t display this side to them, so why now?

‘I don’t want to die,’ Souji was speaking from his heart. The fear and pain enveloped the group as a whole. While Heisuke was unusually upset, it didn’t compare with how much Souji was feeling. ‘I don’t want to be alone… I don’t want to die!’ Souji’s breathing started to come out as gasps before a coughing fit hit him. The coughs were hard and painful, leaving little room for the man to breathe. The others could feel the pain Souji was going through, from his lungs to his heart. 

Tears came down Atrix’s cheeks as she was finding it hard to breathe. It wasn’t just her, but the others as well. Even Heisuke who had seemed focused on his own emotions had stopped his senseless bantering. 

‘I don’t want to die this way. Someone save me!’ The words kept coming, each time Souji spoke, a heavier feeling came over their chests. By the time Hijikata came over to see what the commotion was about, they were all on their knees with pain evident on their faces. Souji’s inner turmoil did not die down anytime soon. The ill samurai had a stronger will than he realized, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from collapsing on himself. Even he had a limit. What made things worse was knowing they could do nothing to help the dying young man. Souji was aware of it too. Why couldn’t he be stronger? 

Souji’s coughing increased to where an alarming amount of blood splashed into his hand, and dripped onto the ground. A gurgling sound bubbled from his throat before he collapsed completely. His breathing was unbelievably fast, as he struggled to take in air. 

“Souji?!” Saito called out as he watched his friend fall. Both he and Hijikata were by his side. Just as the man took a last struggling breath. “Hey, Souji!” Hijikata shouted as he tried to revive the man. 

Atrix watched in silence until she was able to absorb what happened. A missing link became apparent; giving the evidence needed to reveal Souji was no longer apart of this world. He had been consumed by the disease that too his lungs. Tears pulled before falling down her cheeks, her hand going to her chest. 

‘It hurts,’ Her chest ached. It wasn’t just her, for the ones connected also joined the cries. 

‘It hurts.’ 

‘It hurts.’ 

‘It hurts!’ ‘Hurts.’ Hurts!’ 

The marks on their wrist were glowing an angry, bright red, flickering each time someone’s pain was spoken. This display left the Vice Commander feeling confused. All of those in his charge were in pain. “Hey…,” The man looked around with his confusion and concern. From his knowledge, he knew the red glow meant they were all sharing pain, but neither of them was harmed. Minus Souji, but did his death have something to do with this? Was this emotional pain? “Damn it, just how far can this go?” 

No one kept track of how much time had passed. While Hijikata was left to try to handle the situation, he was otherwise helpless. Hours had passed before everything settled down. The marks no longer glowed, and none of the five displayed any more pain. Rather, they were all exhausted. Without any words spoken, they got up and returned to the Shinsengumi Headquarters. Those that were unharmed or had little injuries, made sure Souji’s body made it back as well. 

Chikage hadn’t been left out of the circle, he too felt the loss the others had felt, against his will, of course. It left him feeling unfocused even once when it stopped. 

What they wouldn’t know until later would be of the marks disappearing. That connection they all once shared was no longer.


	11. Chapter 10 - Life Goes On

Atrix’s POV:  
Days passed quietly since then. A small funeral had been held to honor the lost samurai. Souji may had been stubborn and a prankster, but he was greatly missed. The compound felt dead without him. Atrix kept to her room since them, a sadness lingering in her chest. Memories of the time she had spent with him turned over and over in her mind. 

Saito had taken to staying in the young girl’s room. He wanted to comfort her, be there for her when she needed it. At first, he had been apprehensive at entering a woman’s chamber, but after a while, the male no longer held that fear. Each time he entered Atrix’s room, the woman herself welcomed him with open arms. Even when the atmosphere around them was heavy with grief, he was always able to feel a comfortable warmth around her. 

Even now, Atrix was gathered in his arms; her head resting against his chest. His back rested against one of the walls. His blue eyes trailed down her body, his cheeks reddening before he adverted his gaze. Atrix’s eyes were closed. If he didn’t know any better, then he would say she was asleep, but he did know better. The girl was merely listening to his heartbeat. Perhaps it was just her was to remain grounded to reality. The male tightened his arms around her, as though he was using himself as an anchor. He could feel Atrix nuzzling her cheek against his chest. 

“Atrix…,” Saito softly called out to her. In response, Atrix raised her head to look at the male. A question in them from hearing her name. “We should go eat with the others,” He kept his voice soft. He watched Atrix as she became hesitant. 

“Okay,” Atrix agreed, though she made no move to get up. 

The purple-haired man sighed as he raised a hand to caress her cheek. He knew very well that she blamed herself for Souji’s downfall. “Atrix,” The man spoke the girl’s name more sternly. Before she could respond, Saito pressed his lips to her’s. 

Atrix returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around his back, as it deepened. She was the first to pull away; though, she didn’t pull too far. Her head briefly rested on his shoulder until she was gently pushed away. His firm hands were on her shoulders, as his blue eyes peered right at her. Her heart rate increased and a blush formed on her cheeks. 

A gentle smile pulled at Saito’s lips as he gently pulled up until they were both standing. “Let’s go.” 

Atrix did not resist as he guided her out of the room. They slowly made their way to the dining room. 

Over the course of the days they had kept to themselves, everything else had quieted down. There had yet to be any more run-ins with enemies. A blessing, perhaps. But after the last event, they all wished they had something to get their minds out of the gutter. 

As they neared their destination, Atrix tightened her grip on his hand. She knew better to believe they were going to blame her for the death of their friend, but even so, she couldn’t help to feel cautious when seeing them. Saito stopped right outside the door and turned to face his lover. He leaned down and lightly pressed his forehead against her’s. A brief moment later, Saito pulled away. The motion was to calm the girl. It worked. 

The purple-haired man opened the door, and they both went in. What was on the other side was anything but a sulking atmosphere. 

“Come on, Heisuke. There’s something out there for you,” Harada chuckled at a moping Heisuke. The boy was far from annoyed at the nitpicking. 

“Yeah. Someone who is into shorties!” 

“OI, Just give it a rest! You don’t need to rub this into my wound. So, just leave me alone!” Heisuke bursted out in explosive anger. The young man shook off Harada’s hand and left the room, muttering out curses as he went. 

From what could be gathered, Heisuke must had been rejected by Kaita. Which would explain why he was sulking. While Atrix seemed concerned, Saito was not. 

“Hey,” Harada greeted with the remnants of his laughter intact. Upon seeing the look on her face, he added, “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.” 

Atrix nodded and took a seat next to Saito. She glanced around and noticed not anyone in the dining hall was sad or depressed. The expression she was given must had given away her thoughts, for Hijikata spoke up. 

“Souji’s death was inevitable. Tuberculosis isn’t something we could cure,” The Vice Commander explained. “He was also too stubborn to seek treatment like he was told to do numerous times.” Murmurs of agreement passed around the room. 

“We will miss him—Most of us would,” Kondo voiced before clearing his throat. “What I am trying to say is there is no reason to do nothing but sulk, when the trickster himself would more likely be mad about it.” Kondo looked over at her. “We can’t blame Souji’s death on anyone. No one was to blame.” 

Atrix looked down as Kondo spoke. The pained expression Souji had displayed seeped from her memories. The help he wanted came from a plea too late. 

As Atrix looked down, the door slide open once more. 

“Oh-ho, If it isn’t the two love birds,” Harada teased. Atrix looked behind her and saw Kaita and Shinpachi enter the room. It didn’t need to take a genius to know her friend was gleefully happy. It was displayed on her face like an open book. Atrix sighed and fiddled with the end of her sleeve. 

With the lack of anything going on, none of the connected group had felt any pain. So, when Atrix tugged back the sleeve, she was surprised to find the mark gone. Saito took a sharp breath in as he spotted the same thing. “The connection is gone – No, the mark is…,” Saito stated from behind her. 

“Hey, he’s right!” Shinpachi confirmed from behind her. She heard a grunt and turned to see the male punching himself in the gut. Having the idea of the pain transferring embedded in her, she braced herself for the pain she expected to come. Nothing came. No pain was felt. A wave of relief washed over her as she turned towards Saito. 

“It’s gone,” Atrix’s voice came out softer than she had intended, but the happiness was clear enough. 

“It’s gone!” Kaita echoed, the same joy displayed herself. 

Even when this was said, they could all feel the sense of connection. Not of the same caliber like before, but they were still connected in some way. They would know when the other is down, just not feel it in the same way. A special bond of friendship. 

Bonds of the Heart.   
\-----------------------------------

Kaita’s POV:  
It seemed as if days had passed with a mundane feel to it ever since Souji had died. The feeling that everyone had felt at the moment after the battle was pure chaos within the heart. Just remembering it made Kaita sad, she would stare out into the garden and sigh as she recalled the inner voices of everyone as they called out. Her heart also felt heavy as she remembered hearing Heisuke call out to her, she never thought the love of two men would pain her but Kaita knew what she had to do in order to ease the pain that Heisuke was feeling.

Shinpachi had left every now and then on his own to go out drinking, he knew that Souji may have been an asshole at times but he was a true warrior through and through even to the bitter end. Even if it was an illness that took him from the group, he still maintained his dignity as a warrior. “You’ll be missed greatly my friend.” Were the words that Shinpachi had said at Souji’s funeral and continued to say over and over again. A member of his family was taken away from him but he knew that now having Kaita would help ease that pain of loss.

Heisuke on the other hand dealt with his issues in a different manner, he would disappear and go train. As he did often when something seemed to weigh down on his mind. Even if at times he didn’t get along with Souji he stilled considered him a friend. But what pained him besides Souji’s death was that of seeing Kaita and Shinpachi together. Heisuke smashed his wooden sword against the practice dummy out of frustration, “Why him… why couldn’t it have been me?”

The days seemed to drag on even more but Kaita finally tried to stand against the sorrowful stupor she was put in after Souji’s death. Instead of spending time in her own room, she frequented Shinpachi’s just to spend time with him. “Hey Shinpachi….” The male grunted his reply seeing as how he still wasn’t all put together. “Listen Shinpachi…I’m going to take to Heisuke. I need to set things straight with him, that way he can move on and so can we.” 

At this Shinpachi sat up from where he was and looked into Kaita’s eyes, and gave her a warm smile. “I understand. It’s for the best, not only for him but for all of us.” He wrapped his arms and pulled Kaita close to him. “I’m here to support you no matter what Kaita. I’ll always be here for you…” Shinpachi leaned in and placed his lips against Kaita’s, passionately kissing her with no room to breathe. Kaita pulled away to catch her breath, her hand gently placed on Shinpachi’s cheek, “I love you Shinpachi…”

At last, Heisuke and Kaita were alone but the male knew what the young girl was going to say to him, even so, he listened to her. “Heisuke… I just want to say I’m sorry…I’ve caused you so much pain without realizing it. My attention became focused on Shinpachi and in turn, I didn’t pay attention to you. My actions are unforgivable, but as such after hearing your pain I must also say I’m sorry but I cannot accept your feelings.” Kaita bowed in apology to Heisuke who became flustered at her actions. 

“Hey… lift your head, you’ve done nothing wrong. I just have to accept that you and Shinpachi are together. What I want most is your happiness; I know you’ve been through a lot but if Shinpachi is that guy to keep you all there, then he better do a damn good job. If he doesn’t I’ll knock some sense into him for you. But I’ll also still be here for you. I’ll still care about you and that won’t change because I like you Kaita.” Heisuke gave Kaita a big smile before turning and leaving her.

“You okay?” Kaita nodded her head at the question and looked to see Shinpachi there. “I’m okay Shinpachi. Thank you.” After getting what she had on her mind out relief settled into Kaita and tears streamed down her cheeks. Shinpachi wiped them and then held out his hand for her. “Come, it seems that today’s meal has been prepared.” Kaita nodded and followed closely to Shinpachi. 

Right before the two got closer to the main hall Shinpachi pulled Kaita off to the side and embraced her close to him. “Shinpachi? What’s wrong?” Kaita could hear the male’s heartbeat quicken. He pulled himself away from the girl and looked straight into her eyes. “Kaita I just want to ask you one thing… Will you continue to stay by my side not only as a friend but also as my lover?”

At this Kaita’s face reddened and she looked away embarrassed. In the softest voice ever Kaita responded, “…. yes… so long as you’ll have me…” Shinpachi looked at Kaita and leaned down, “Can you say that again?” He didn’t really hear what she had said but what shocked him was that he face was beet red. “Yes damnit, I said yes…. So long as you’ll have me.” Kaita was fuming with embarrassment as she said her response even louder voice. Shinpachi couldn’t help but laugh loudly, once his laughter calmed down a smile stayed on his lips. “I’m glad that you accept my proposal Kaita.” He sealed her lips once more before he led her to the main hall where they met with everyone else of the Shinsengumi.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Kiznaiver project was a success. While the information that came through was spotty, it was enough to gather what was needed to make the decision. It wasn’t designed to last for a long time. She was lucky the information came through. She was glad and fortunate to have gotten the results she had been aiming for. The experiment had unexpected turn of events, but none she found to be of a concern. 

One had died, and that didn’t kill any of the others. An important factor in the project. At this point, she doubted the two girls would be returning to the present. Nothing to be done about that. 

Turning the monitor off, the white-haired woman walked out of the room; hitting the light switch to turn the light off. Her eyes looked back into the darkened room. 

“Until next time...” With those parking words, she turned around and left. 

\---------------------------------------------  
Bindings that Bond the Heart by Atrix333

When people are forced together,  
Nothing good can come out of it.   
But give it some time,   
And even the two enemies become a perfect fit.   
Bonds are never-ending,  
They last a lifetime.   
Friendship is the same,   
As two hearts bind into one.   
Its called ‘Bindings that Bond the Heart’,  
For it would never fall apart.


End file.
